Huntington Township, Ross County — After about 12 years of neglect and legal wrangling, the bankrupt Floral Hills Memory Gardens off US 23 south of Chillicothe was handed over to the township…which is proud of what they have been able to accomplish with it over the last year.
The Huntington Township trustees reviewed their progress on the large cemetery in a special session on August 19th, 2025, and trustee John Cottrill outlined the situation afterward with me. (Hear him in his own words in the below video interview.)
Cottrill gave me a list of accomplishments that he could think of:
- Cleaned up cemetery. 4 dump truck loads of wreaths, grave blankets, and other decorations that were outdated
- Contracted mowing and grave digging.
- Replaced signs
- Replaced all flags, including branches of service in Veterans section.
- Began removing overgrown shrubbery within cemetery
- Replaced door in storage shed.
- Cleaned out house/office.
- Removed some dead trees.
- Filed around 10,000 deeds
- Began creating data base with names and location of lots
- Working with county engineers office to plan bridge replacement.
- Averaging 3-4 burials per week.
- Will be selling lots soon.
- Had Memorial Day service. Plans for additional services in the future.
Cottrill said the township took over Floral Hills with a court order more than a year ago, after its owners went bankrupt in 2012 and walked away from it and a smaller cemetery north of Circleville. (Veteran David Robertson also championed Floral Hills and saw that volunteers did their best to maintain it until he helped it started to move out of legal limbo.)
Now that Floral Hills is presentable and usable, Cottrill said everyone is relieved, and many are thanking the township. At first, he said the trustees were overwhelmed at first when they saw its condition, and were concerned that the effort and expenses were too much for them to take on.
He said they now have a contractor digging an average of three of four graves a week, and hope for the cemetery to become self-sufficient. To buy a plot, Cottrill said to contact him, or the township through their website.
He said two women come in twice a week to straighten out and alphabetized the more than 10,000 records, which had been rescued by the Ross County Sheriff’s Department from a storage locker in 24 boxes. Cottrill said some deeds have been lost, but they have the 1956 burial book when the cemetery was started, and are updating it.
The Ross County Engineer had offered to come up with a price to replace the entry bridge that is eroding, then they will go back to the Ross County Commissioners for their offer to help with the cost.
Out of the cemetery’s about $180K endowment fund, Cottrill said the cost of mowing and repairs have taken a big chunk. They also had to pay Huntington Bank about $54K for their claim of attorney fees.
Learn more in our last story on the struggle of Floral Hills, “Huntington Township Facing New Struggles with Floral Hills Memory Gardens in Ross County” in May of 2024, and search for more on the Scioto Post.
