Along with the Roman Catholic Calvary Cemetery, the Bellefontaine Cemetery holds a number of extravagant historic mausoleums and tombstones. Both are necropolis for politicians and American Civil War soldiers. The Bellefontaine Cemetery in particular was established in 1849 by William McPherson, a former mayor and a banker, together with a group of the city?s most prominent men. It was built because of the fact that Jefferson Street cemeteries do not have enough burial grounds anymore.
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The cemetery was named after Fort Bellefontaine, because the 138 acres of land where it stands is located along the road that leads to the former military fort. Almerin Hotchkiss designed the landscaping of the cemetery. Before the end of the 18th*century, additional lands were purchased for the cemetery?s expansion.