A Cemetery Nearby: Rockafield Cemetery

The Rockafield Cemetery which is located near the Rockafield House on the campus of Wright State University was most likely begun between 1825 and 1830. It was common custom that families would set aside land in a newly purchased plot of land as a family cemetery. The Rockafield Cemetery is different though because it not only has members of the family but also has plots for their neighbors, including the Millers, the Mays and the Mercers. Many of these families, however, became related to the Rockafields and the others throughout the years through marriage, making the cemetery more closely related.

The cemetery was said to have held forty-five graves, however, the exact number is unknown because many of the grave stones are missing. The cemetery has faced a lot of destruction over the years, beginning with mother-nature over 175 years. It also was destroyed due to the work of Mr. Irvin, who owned the property at one time. It is said they he used the headstones for sidewalk and other projects around his property. It is speculated that stones that the Wright State Riding Club used to line their driveway were headstones, however, due to erosion no writing was visible on the stones. Additionally, over the years it was also a hang out space for students, causing further damage to the small cemetery.

            In more recent years Wright State has made an effort to take care of the cemetery by repairing a fence around the site and keeping the site clean and orderly. Further, some students from the Public History Program have completed more research on the cemetery, trying to decipher who might be buried in the now unmarked graves. While the headstones may never be replaced the cemetery still stands as the final resting place of many early settlers of Bath Township and as a lasting record of those who came before us.

SC-1 Rockafield Letter and Clippings, Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University Libraries