Tomb of William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison
Tomb and State Memorial Park
North Bend, Hamilton County, Ohio

         A while back, my husband and I made a visit to the William Henry Harrison Tomb and State Memorial Park and I would like to share with you some of the pictures we took on our visit.
        The Memorial stands on a knoll overlooking the Ohio River, on land which was once part of the vast tract of land which his father-in-law, Judge John Cleves Symmes, purchased known as the Symmes Purchase.
        Harrison had expressed a desire to be buried on Mt. Nebo with its wide view of the Ohio River and of the corners of three states - Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Citizens of Cincinnati petitioned President Tyler to have Harrison's body returned to Ohio, and so, on July 7, 1841, he was buried in a tomb provided by his family on the summit of Mt. Nebo.
        There are twenty four vaults provided within the tomb which contain the bodies of President Harrison;
his wife who died in 1864; their son, John Scott Harrison, father of President Benjamin Harrison; and other members of the family.   Several sealed vaults are unmarked.
        This page is best viewed with Netscape and Internet Explorer. AOL tends to distort the photos.

Entrance to William Henry Harrison Memorial Park and close-up of one of the pillars which reads:
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON
1773-1841
Ninth President of the United States, Hero of Tippecanoe, Major General in the War of 1812, United States Senator from Ohio, Governor of the Territory of Indiana

William Henry Harrison's Grave inside the tomb. This was the best picture I could get. I had to reach inside the iron gate and just aim and shoot without actually being able to see what the camera saw. Next to him is his wife, Anne Symmes, daughter of Judge John Cleves Symmes.

The entrance to the tomb. It isn't visible in the picture, but just above the iron gate is engraved the name
HARRISON.

Through the gate you can see the plaque which tells the history of the renovation of the monument. To the right through the gate is the grave of William Henry Harrison and his wife Anne Symmes.

Marker reads:
An Historical Sketch of Harrison's Tomb
I.
Harrison's tomb was built in 1841 to serve as a permanent place of sepulchre for William Henry Harrison and his wife, and as a temporary place for his family. During the course of many years, the tomb and knoll upon which it is located, as well as the small cemetery adjoining, were suffered to fall into decay and ruin, nor was it until seventy-eight years after the construction of the tomb, that legal steps were taken to preserve it and its sacred contents for posterity.
II.
On the first day of April, 1919, Horace Bonser, a member of the General Assembly of Ohio, from Hamilton County, introduced a bill which he had drawn, in the lower house, appropriating ten thousand dollars for the purpose, as the bill recites, "Of placing the tomb and the ground upon which the tomb of William Henry Harrison is located, in a suitable and decent condition in order that the memory of Ohio's first President and gallant soldier, William Henry Harrison, may be fittingly commemorated." This bill was passed by both houses of the General Assembly and after receiving the signature of Governor Cox, became a law.
III.
A commission composed of Horace Bonser, William Whipple Symmes and Alfred G. Allen was thereupon appointed by the Governor, which after obtaining title to the property from the surviving Harrison heirs, undertook the work of reclaiming the tomb and tomb site from its then ruinous and neglected state.
IV.
In the year 1921 Governor Davis appointed a new commission consisting of Horace Bonser, William Whipple Symmes and Hallie Stephens Caine, and it was this commission that carried out the work originally planned by the first commission. On the 24th day of October 1921 after all preliminary work had been completed, ground breaking exercises were held upon the site of the Memorial Gateway and work upon it finally commenced. During the Spring of 1922 the Gateway was completed and the property suitably graded and planted with appropriate shrubs and flowers.
V.
It is in order that posterity may be in possession of all salient facts leading up to the rehabilitation of the last resting place of our country's gallant sons and patriots, that the William Henry Harrison Memorial Commission has caused this tablet to be erected this 14th day of Dec. 1922.
Horace Bonser, Chairman
William Whipple Symmes
Hallie Stephens Caine

Close up of the monument.
It reads:
Ensign of the First United States Infantry
Commandant of Fort Washington
Hero of Tippecanoe
Major General in the War of 1812
Victor of the Battle of the Thames
Avenger of the Massacre of the River Raisin

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