Serenity, beauty, history, heritage ― just a few of the reasons why hundreds of thousands of visitors from near and far enter through the gates of Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum and Oak Hill Cemetery each year, and why so many return again and again.
Spring Grove was chartered in 1845, and is one of the largest nonprofit cemeteries in the United States, and the most beautiful according to thousands of visitors who come to visit every year. There are 733 acres of which approximately 450 acres are developed.
One of the things that Spring Grove is famous for is its lawn plan. The lawn plan was started by Strauch and considered unconventional at the time. Later, the lawn plan was accepted as a model for many other cemeteries. Strauch believed in developing the landscape to harmonize with nature. He re-routed roads to follow the natural shapes of Spring Grove's hills and valleys. He built lakes, islands, footbridges, protected woodland areas, and brought hundreds of trees and plants from other parts of the world. He asked lot owners to remove the fences and hedgerows they had built around grave sites. Spring Grove has been called by experts the major example of the American rural cemetery.