The North Graveyard, also known as the North Cemetery and Old North Cemetery, was a burial ground in Columbus, Ohio. It was situated in modern-day Downtown Columbus and was established in 1813, a year after the city was founded. Graves at the site were moved beginning in the 1850s into the 1880s. In the 20th and 21st century, construction projects have involved archaeological digs of portions of the site. Part of the cemetery site will house the Merchant Building, under construction since early 2023, requiring an archaeological study and exhumation of remains left in the graveyard. Attributes The graveyard site was at the southeast corner of present-day Park and Spruce streets, in a wooded and somewhat swampy area at the time of creation. It originally had . At its greatest extent, the cemetery had 11 acres. The northern limit of the cemetery was at Spruce Street, where a narrow buggy path existed. The east boundary was at High Street, the west at Park Street, and the south at the present-day railroad tracks. The Brickell Addition, a 20-foot-wide strip, was at the northwest corner of the cemetery. In the present day, North Market, part of the Hilton Columbus Downtown hotel, the Battleship Building, the Vine Street parking garage, and several commercial buildings on High Street are on the former graveyard site. Notable burials Notable Columbus residents originally buried at the graveyard included: John Kerr, Columbus' second mayor (1818-19) John Brickell, one of several founders of Columbus Isaiah Vorys, Revolutionary War veteran who helped lay out the city John Wilson Campbell, member of Congress Members of the prominent Deshler, Bryden, Buttles, and Parsons families History Early history The graveyard was dedicated for use on July 2, 1813, a year after the city was founded. It originally had 1.5 acres. John Kerr, one of Columbus's original four proprietors, was to execute a deed giving ownership of the property to Columbus. He did not, and thus the graveyard remained in private hands until 1821. Kerr, by then owner of the property, conveyed the land to the mayor and Borough of Columbus for $1 on June 6, 1821. In 1824, the council provided for the appointment of a sexton, to manage the grounds and dig graves, thus formalizing the operation of the graveyard. The cemetery was the only burial ground in Columbus through the 1810s and 1820s; the 1799-established Old Franklinton Cemetery was annexed into