Johnny M. - Vigilant
We leave Johnny Morehouse and his guardian where we found them - one eternally resting and the other eternally on-guard.
Uploaded on August 24, 2006
by roujo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tekmagika/223772084/
Johnny M.
Story goes, Johnny was born in 1855, the youngest son of John and Barbara Morehouse, who lived with them in back of his father's shoe repair shop. When he was 5 yrs old, he fell into the Miami & Erie Canal, which use to run along the present Patterson Blvd. in downtown Dayton, near the library.
His best friend, who was his dog, tried to save him, but could not. Little Johnny died in 1860 by drowning. Legend has it that several days after he was buried, his dog appeared next to his grave. He would not leave his little friend. Visitors to the cemetery began to worry about the dog getting food and water. They began to leave bits of food for him. His headstone depicts little Johnny, his toys and his dog. People stop by all the time and place toys, clothes, and money on his grave. A lady who walks the cemetery collects the money off the graves and buys something for Johnny and the children at the homeless shelters. He is one of the most visited little boys in Woodland Cemetery. He is buried in the Family Plot Lot 546, Section 82. His father, mother, and assorted family members are buried nearby.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tekmagika/222112313/
IMG_4461.JPG
The grave of Johnny Morehouse and his dog. Unfortunately, an act of vandalism, possibly facilitated by years of erosion, recently separated the dog's head from his body, but well-wishers placed it nearby. I'm going to call the cemetery to see if anyone is going to reattach it...it seems a shame to let it sit in this condition.
--- The grave of Johnny Morehouse is a curiousity among visitors and neighbors of Woodlawn Cemetery in Dayton. The legend behind this odd grave marker is that, in the 1850's, poor 5-year-old Johnny Morehouse fell into the icy waters of the Miami-Erie canal. His dog jumped in to save him, but after pulling Johnny to shore, Johnny died of ingested water. Johnny was buried near the front of the Woodlawn Cemetery with a typical grave stone of the period. However, out of loyalty for his friend and master, and in sadness at his passing, Johnny's protective dog went and laid at the gravesite for weeks, not moving to eat or stay out of the cold. He died of starvation and exposure, and out of reverence for this amazing animal, the Morehouse family had the dog buried alongside Johnny, and this magnificent marble gravestone was erected to honor the dog's protective loyalty. While all other graves are beautifully maintained and all intereference from visitors is strictly prohibited, this grave is routinely covered with adornments, toys, and trinkets from visitors. It is said that at night, long after the cemetery is locked and all visitors gone, the voice of a young boy and a happy, barking dog can still be heard at play within the cemetery's iron fences. UPDATE: I emailed the cemetery's director, and he told me that, after hearing that the statue had been vandalized again, he had their caretaker reset and epoxy it back in place. So, as of April 15, 2008, the head should be back on!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinmasterson/2369904772/
Tomb of Johnny Morehouse - "In the 1860s there was a boy, Johnny Morehouse, the youngest son of John and Mory, who lived with them in the back of his father’s shoe repair shop. One day the five-year-old was playing near his home by the edge of the Miami and Erie Canal(which used to run along the present Patterson Blvd in downtown Dayton near the library). The boy accidentally fell into the canal water. His dog, playing by him, jumped into the water and tried to save him. He pulled the boy out, but not in time to save his life. The boy drowned and was buried in Woodland Cemetery. Legend has it that, several days after the burial, the dog appeared next to the boy’s grave staying by it morning, noon, and night. Visitors to the cemetery saw him and began to worry about his health. Some began leaving him bits of food. Passersby still bring small toys and other trinkets to decorate the grave marker to express their spontaneous outpourings of sympathy. Some visitors put money there. A lady who walks the cemetery every day collects the money and buys something for the grave often. As you can see on his grave marker, he already has toys to play with — his harmonica, his top, his cap, his ball." source
On one side of the monument is written: slumber sweet. In recent years, the dog's head was separated from the body; but, according to Justin Masterson, as of April 15, 2008, it was back on.
http://br.geocities.com/anton_tijolinho/english/statues/memorial/#JOHNNY
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