Stories from the grave: Oakwood Cemetery tour brings local history to life

HERMITAGE, Pa. (WKBN) — Each burial site at the Oakwood Cemetery has a story behind it, and on June 18, people will get to hear the history of the most noteworthy spots during a public tour organized by the Sharon Historical Society.

Though the cemetery lays claim to some of Sharon’s well-known former residents and its office is in Sharon, the actual burial grounds are located in Hermitage, and there is a story behind that as well.

In 1864, a prominent physician in the area, Dr. John Micheltree Irvine, convinced the state legislature to pass an act allowing council to ban cemeteries in Sharon’s limits.

“He went to the state legislature at the time and said, ‘You know, burials in town are causing problems with like disease and water runoff and that sort of thing, so it would be better if the cemetery was moved,'” said Taylor Galaska, president and marketing director of the Sharon Historical Society.

WKBN spoke to Galaska about the history of Oakwood Cemetery on “History Happened Here.” The full episode airs on WKBN+ (For directions on how to download the free streaming app for your TV, click here).

Galaska is part of the group leading tours in the cemetery, and he showed WKBN some of the stops on the tour.

There’s the grave of the “Gypsy Queen,” whose tombstone is adorned with beads and other trinkets that people leave as gifts.

The “queen,” 31-year-old Lena Miller, died of pneumonia on May 10, 1921, while in town for a carnival. Thousands of mourners came to pay their respects, and school was canceled for the day while people watched the procession.

Even today, the gravesite is a popular stop for visitors to the cemetery who leave behind gifts for the queen.

Then, there is the Buhl Chapel, constructed for steel magnate Frank Buhl, his wife Julia, and other members of the family. The Buhls spent $50,000 to have it built in 1899, and it now serves as their final resting place.

The Buhls, who made their money in the steel industry, are known to this day for their philanthropy, building the F.H. Buhl Club and creating Buhl Farm Park, which includes a free golf course.

Galaska also spoke about the gravesite of Billy Whitla, who captured national attention in 1909 when he was kidnapped at the age of 8.

Billy was picked up from Sharon’s East Ward Elementary by a man claiming to have been sent by Billy’s father, prominent local attorney James Whitla, whose wife, Bella, was Julia Forker Buhl’s sister.

His kidnappers hid him in Cleveland for four days before releasing him into the city when they received the ransom money. The kidnappers were caught soon after that, however.

“They started spending money like there was no tomorrow in Cleveland. They went to a bar. They had spent like, nearly $200 in alcohol in 1909 — that’s a lot of money, and it was not, you know, the Ritz-Carlton; it was a seedy bar,” Galaska said. “And, they were hooting and hollering that they had gotten away with it. ‘We got away with it; they’re never going to catch us!’ and people were like, ‘What was that?'”

Billy was for years known as the “kidnapped child.” He later became an attorney, like his father, but died at the age of 32 from pneumonia.

There are many other stories at the cemetery, and a variety of docents will speak during the tour.

The tour takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 18. The event is free, and no registration is required. Those interested in the tour can come to 600 N. Oakland Ave.

Those who attend will receive free informational booklets.

Attendees should wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather, as the tour is about 1.5 miles of walking and takes 1.5 to 2 hours.