York Street Cemetery

General Information

The OES visited York Street Cemetery on August 14, 2007. York Street Cemetery is a well-kept cemetery in Harrison Township in Licking County. It is also a relatively new cemetery, as the oldest tombstone found was from 1865. The vast majority of burials are even more recent, having occurred in the 1900s, with a few in the 21st century. There are two burials in particular that are of interest, that of Elmer Artz and Mildred Louise Barton. In March of 1964, Mildred Louise Barton was shot with a .32 caliber pistol in her Marion home. She died at the hospital two hours later as a result of her injuries. She left three young children, including a toddler and a 13-month-old. Elmer Artz, a 19-year-old farm hand, was living with the Stottharts and their two middle-aged daughters. One brisk January day in 1903, Elmer attempted to assault the two sisters. A neighbor, Mr. Zach Hunt, heard the commotion and came over to see what was the matter. When Hunt realized that the girls were in grave danger, he tried to wrestle the gun from Artz's grip. Artz shot Hunt, piercing him in the head, killing him within minutes. He also shot one of the Stottharts in the hand, although the wound was not fatal. Soon thereafter, Artz retreated to a nearby shed, and upon realizing what he had done, killed himself with a shotgun. The medical colleges in Columbus were determined to have the body for research. A newspaper account had this to say about the situation: "It is altogether probable that the body of Artz...will find a resting place in a pickling vat in one of the Columbus medical colleges...representatives of those institutions have been carrying on negotiations for the purchase of the body." In the end, Artz's grandfather paid for the burial, but because of the medical colleges' persistence, the family was forced to guard the burial site for several weeks after his burial. His tombstone is no longer there, so one can only guess as to what became of it. To view photos of all standing tombstones at the time of our visit, click the link below.

• Click Here for a complete list and photos of all tombstones currently standing as of August 14, 2007.

Location Information: Active Cemetery

York Street Cemetery is on the north side of Refugee Rd SW east of County Road 39, Licking County.

Photographs