The annual Historical Walk will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum. Attendees should gather at the chapel for this free event. Presentations will be conducted by Friends of the cemetery members.

The background and stories shared at the event will include:

Ella Canavan, born in 1877, affectionately known as Miss Ella, was a cherished kindergarten teacher for generations of children in Medina. In 1960 Medina honored her by naming its newly built elementary school after her.

Eli Zivan, emigrated from Yugoslavia in 1920 and arrived in Medina in 1940. He was a familiar face in the community, strolling uptown from his underground home on E. Union Street, across from the old high school. He kept an eye out for the high school students, and, in turn, members of the Student Council brought him to meals on school days from the school cafeteria.

Franklin Sylvester, donated $10,000 in 1904 to build a free library for the Medina community at the corner of Washington and Broadway Streets, which stands to this day and bears his name. Sadly, he died just months before the library was completed in 1907.

Willis and Anna Albro, a prominent family in Medina, built the Albro Building on the corner of W. Washington and N. Court Streets in 1876, operating a drug store from the location for over 30 years. Willis was a 33rd degree Mason who had an extensive library and, in the 1890s, provided a reading room that served as a library.

The event is Family-Friendly with easy access to for strollers, wagons and wheelchairs. Historic Spring Grove Cemetery is listed on a National Register of Historic Places and is a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site and a global arboretum. Spring Grove is located at the corner of East Washington and Spring Grove Street in Medina.

For additional information about Friends of the Cemetery, visit www.friendsofmedinacemetery.org or call the Friends of the Cemetery office at 330-591-4870.