by Chuck Seaver, South Lake Tablet
The Oak Hill Cemetery on East Avenue in Clermont is undergoing a growth spurt with the addition of 300 in-ground sites and 96 additional columbarium niches. The cemetery, which has been maintained by the City of Clermont since 1927, currently has 536 remaining in-ground sites and 128 niches available before the additions that are currently being added. The idea of adding sites was born in May of this year during the flag placement protocol for Memorial Day. Clermont citizens who were present for the event suggested to Mayor Tim Murry, who was also present, that the city investigate buying the dilapidated home that faced East Avenue. The house, which was vacant and unlivable, had property lines that bordered the Oak Hill property lines and was an obvious choice for potential growth.
Mayor Murry took quick action with city staff and council, who agreed with the suggestion. After council approval, the property owner was notified and agreed to sell the property to the city for a fair market value.
During the purchase process, a second property owner next to the original, offered also to sell his property to the city. Staff and council agreed and quickly began clearing the properties to make way for the additional Oak Hill Cemetery grounds. “The city and contractors are recycling as much of the demolition debris as possible while removing invasive trees and shrubs that are not native to the area,” says City of Clermont Spokesperson Laurie Windham. The total rehabilitation area is just shy of one acre. “The city council and staff feel that it is important for Clermont citizens to have a final resting place in Clermont if they so choose. Although there is not an immediate shortage of spaces, the city recognized the need for future use and availability concerning the growing population within the city limits of Clermont,” says Windham.
On December 13, 2022, a resolution was passed by the city council that restricts the purchase of burial sites by people other than citizens of the City of Clermont. The present cemetery space available was rapidly filling due to area growth and pricing of lots within Oak Hill. Prior to the resolution, lot prices at Oak Hill were much lower than surrounding areas, including neighboring Orange County. The price range made Oak Hill an attractive option for citizens from surrounding communities. There will be no impact on lots that were purchased and remain vacant before the resolution. The resolution also does not restrict the purchase of niches within Columbaria by citizens who do not reside within the city limits, although there is a price difference between non-citizens and citizens of Clermont. Windham states that each niche is suitable for two urns, typically within the same family.
“The next step in plans for the additional grounds is the levelling of the ground, new sod and irrigation and then the platting of the inground lots and columbarium’s,” says Windham. The project is scheduled for completion by summers end or early fall.
Although records indicate that the cemetery has remained in the City of Clermont’s care since 1927, local historians have found it difficult to pinpoint the actual inception of the grounds as a final resting place. Several headstones in the cemetery are dated in the late 1800’s as dates of death, indicating that the property was used as a burial ground prior to 1927.
Some original maps show the area was platted by the Clermont Improvement Company in 1884 for individual and private ownership, presumably for residences or small homesteads. The Clermont Improvement Company was born in 1884 when Thomas J. Hooks, an agent for the Florida Land and Colonization Company of Sanford, sold several hundred acres of land in the South Lake area to a group of men from New Jersey. The men in turn launched a colonization project that would lead to the name “Clermont” later that year when incorporation took place. One of the men leading the project, Arthur Wrotnowski, was born in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
As a call for help from the community, if you have any family knowledge, documents, or related items to the beginning days of Oak Hill Cemetery, please contact Chuck Seaver at Chuck.Seaver@SLTablet.com. Your help will be appreciated.
Please visit www.clermontfl.gov/277/Oak-Hill-Cemetery for more information regarding price levels and available options for Oak Hill Cemetery.
