One look around Monroe Street Cemetery – the uneven ground, uncut grass, tilted headstones dating from the early 1800s – and it’s easy to feel you’re in the oldest public cemetery on Cleveland’s West Side.
In other words, it’s a picturesque place to celebrate Halloween, according to Lesley Patterson, vice president of the Monroe Street Cemetery Foundation.
“Much of the Monroe Street Cemetery’s charm is that it is historic and, indeed, rugged,” said Patterson. “Though the Monroe Street Cemetery Foundation is actively working to restore the cemetery in these aspects, for now it lends itself nicely to those enjoying the spooky season.”
Monroe Street Cemetery hosts multiple events this October to celebrate the spooky holiday: a hearse cruise-in, a zombie run and trick-or-treating. Plus, you can participate in a nationwide cemetery scavenger hunt.
Not just for Halloween…
Monroe Street Cemetery sits nestled into the residential neighborhood on the street it’s named for, off West 25th Street just south of Lorain Avenue. The cemetery was once part of a subdivision owned by Clevelanders Josiah Barber and his brother-in-law, Richard Lord. In 1836, Barber and Lord sold part of the land to Brooklyn Township to be used as a public cemetery. It is the final resting place of more than 31,000 early settlers and notable figures of Cleveland history.
Today, the cemetery relies on its foundation and other local supporters and volunteers to maintain the property, as the cemetery is full and has no current burials and no income. The Monroe Street Cemetery Foundation was established to promote preservation and restoration of the grounds and its monuments.
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“All of the money that we have is because of events, and because of donations from people,” said Patterson. “Aside from that, we’re always seeking volunteers to help us with these events, to help be actors, or help us do landscaping.”
Coffee and Coffins: Oct. 5
Come down to Monroe Street Cemetery between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Oct. 5 for “Coffee and Coffins.” Learn more about hearses and what it’s like to drive one. Complimentary coffee and doughnuts will be provided. The event is free to attend. Donations are welcome.
Guests are invited to see the hearses, climb in them, and talk to hearse owners about them. Patterson also encourages guests to take a walk around the cemetery at their leisure. “Come in, check out a hearse or two, or 10, and enjoy free coffee and doughnuts.”
“You don’t realize until you go to something like Coffee and Coffins, these hearse owners, they have a sense of humor, and you can use it to think about events with them in the future you would not have thought that you could use a hearse for,” Patterson said. For example, the owner of Grave Expectations uses his hearse for events such as proms and birthday parties.
5K Zombie Run and 1 mile Lurch: Oct. 12
Monroe Street Cemetery hosts its first ever run and walk for all the zombies out there in search of new blood for Halloween. The run starts at Clark Field in Tremont and heads down the Towpath Trail before looping back.
Patterson encourages participants to dress up as a zombie or in a scary costume.
Registration starts at 8 a.m. The run and walk start at 9. Participating in the run costs $35; the walk is $25.
Trick-or-treat and scavenger hunt: Oct. 26
Monroe Street Cemetery will have its annual free trick-or-treating event with “a handful of dressed in-person cemetery residents standing at their grave sites handing out candies,” said Patterson.
In addition, guests are invited to join a nationwide cemetery scavenger hunt hosted by TalkDeath, an online grief support network. It is free to join, but you must register with TalkDeath to participate.
“Our cemetery is lucky enough to have been chosen as 2025’s Cleveland location,” said Patterson. “At the start time, 2:30 p.m., TalkDeath will share a list of clues to find in the cemetery via Instagram and their website. Participants will have 45 minutes to find and photograph as many clues as they can before submitting their findings online.”
The clues are not specific to any cemetery, explained Patterson. Clues may range from finding a headstone with a certain year or seeking out a specific type of font or icon on a headstone or memorial structure. Prizes will be awarded.
For more information on Monroe Street Cemetery or the Halloween events it’s hosting, visit their website.