Pioneer Cemetery - Stroud's Run State Park, Athens, Ohio

Pioneer Cemetery is an interesting cemetery, in part because there are only two legible stones there. This one is located in the middle of Stroud's Run State Park just outside of Athens, Ohio. To get here, go to Stroud's Run and find the Finger Rock trail. The Pioneer Cemetery trail breaks off from the Finger Rock trail, and the cemetery is at the very end, about half a mile from the split.

Part of why I like this one so much is that so very little is known about it. Fortunately, the cemetery with 5 stones isn't the only reason to hike this trail. Along the trail you can also see ruins of old foundations from the little pioneer village that used to be in this area. When the University was founded and the city of Athens created, this little ghost of a town went the way of the dinosaurs. Below are not only pictures of the cemetery, but pictures of the two easiest to find foundations along the trail.

I'm looking into getting more information on this one in the near future. The trail to pioneer is actually quite easy; the only hill is the small one where the cemetery itself sits. There is one little jump across the creek, but when my friend Ben and I were out there, next to it was a recently delivered pile of lumber, so we think they're going to be building a small footbridge soon.

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