History

Founded as a nonprofit association in 1921, Dayton Memorial Park Cemetery and Mausoleum was created to be a special sanctuary where families could memorialize their loved ones. It was to be a reverent place, one that would honor those who have passed, set in a park-like atmosphere that would celebrate the living beauty of nature. The first burial took place in 1923 and now nearly 400 interments occur each year. Today, the founders’ vision, fulfilled by their successor’s diligence, has created a peaceful retreat that families enjoy visiting.

From the stone bridge at the street entrance to the Abbey Mausoleum in the back, this 217 acre facility has several architecturally and historically significant structures. Two years after the first burial, a stone caretaker’s residence of the Cotswold Style was constructed; it now houses the cemetery offices. A veteran’s memorial area was added in 1927, now known as Soldiers Circle, this area is anchored by a limestone bell tower surrounded by veteran’s graves. By the early 1930s the Abbey Mausoleum was built. This impressive example of limestone construction is a two story 140 ft. by 55 ft. structure that is lined with marble and contains 1450 crypts and numerous niches. By 2007 Whispering Pines, a second mausoleum, was added to the cemetery providing a more contemporary option for entombment.