Until further notice: With the current health concerns over COVID-19, please contact the office first if you want to schedule any genealogy search appointments (ie: 513-961-1424 or office@walnuthillscemetery.org) as office hours may vary. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
Walnut Hills Cemetery is one of Cincinnati’s oldest, operating establishments. It opened in1843 under the name of “The Second German Protestant Cemetery” and comprised of about 5 acres. The first meeting was held on Feb. 6, 1843, the first lots were recorded as sold on May 4, 1843 and the first burials were made on June 30, 1843. The original incorporators were Louis Wehmer, Charles Wolf, August Frieman, C.F. Bult
mann and Hermann Ficke. On Sept. 25, 1941, the name was officially changed to Walnut Hills Cemetery. This was done to eliminate some of the confusion with “The First German Protestant Cemetery” located in the 3600 block of Reading Road. That cemetery, which opened in 1802, had been closed for burials since 1864 after many victims of the cholera epidemics in Cincinnati in 1849 and 1864 had been buried there. It was thought at the time that even touching the bones could spread the cholera germ again and start another epidemic.
Currently, the cemetery sits on over 70 rolling acres of Walnut Hills in Cincinnati, OH with over 50,000 burials. The cemetery has been designated a Monarch Waystation based on the current upkeep of the grounds (ie: www.monarchwatch.org). There is also a Great Horned Owl currently nursing her babies within the cemetery.
