Sandusky's second oldest cemetery is named for a disease that
killed hundreds in an 1849 epidemic.
Cholera
is an infectious disease of the gastrointestinal system. It is
spread through contaminated food and water. An infected person can
die within a day of first showing symptoms of the disease. In the
mid-19th century, cholera was routinely treated with calomel, a
mercury compound which could prove as harmful as the diseases it
was used to treat.
In Ohio, the first cases of cholera were reported in Cincinnati
and Cleveland in 1832. The 1849 outbreak in Europe and North
America was a large-scale epidemic. The disease spread across
America, killing thousands in the cities, and moving inland from
ports visited by European ships.
When the epidemic reached Sandusky, well over half the
population of the town evacuated. Of the remaining 2167 residents,
over 400 succumbed to the disease. Many of the victims were buried
here, at what is now known as Cholera Cemetery, in plain, rough
caskets in a mass grave.
This cemetery fell into disuse when Oakwood Cemetery opened in
1850. In 1924, it was restored. An archway over the entrance reads
"CHOLERA CEMETERY", and a tall bronze monument stands in the
center. Although hundreds of cholera victims are buried here, only
three headstones stand in this cemetery. Three men named Ransom,
American Revolution veterans, are honored with military-style
headstones. (Two of the three are hard to read, but it seems that
these men died prior to the epidemic.) The rest of the residents of
this quiet cemetery do not have their names displayed and are
memorialized here only by the historical marker and bronze
monument.
The cache is located at N 41° 26.YYY W 082° 43.ZZZ
where:
YYY = (Sandusky's population in 1849) - 4677
ZZZ = (Year the historical marker was dedicated) - 1450
Beware of muggles! The cemetery is surrounded
by a residential area.