May 27, 2026
From the Pickerington-Violet Township Historical Society
On June 7th, the Pickerington-Violet Township Historical Society will host historic cemetery tours featuring stories of the people and places that shaped the community’s early years.
“We have done two guided walking tours of the village and one other cemetery tour,” said Historical Society President Peggy Portier. “All were well received, but the cemetery tour gets us away from traffic and makes it easier for attendees to hear and ask questions.”
Beginning at 2 p.m., groups will depart every 15 minutes from Maranatha Community Church (170 E. Columbus St.). Once again, the tours are presented as a partnership between the historical society and American Legion Post 283 Honor Guard, which will provide speakers at some of the graves.
“We have added a 2:00 p.m. ‘in case of rain’ indoor program this year so people don’t need to be concerned about watching the weather forecast and waiting until the last minute to sign up,” Portier said.
Reservations are required and can be made online at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409094FAFA622A46-63732734-historic. Once a time slot is selected, participants will be emailed an invoice to pay by credit card. Tickets are $5.00 per person, ages 13 and older. Children 12 and under are free.
The first stop will highlight the history of Dovel Memorial Church. Services first began there in 1830 after early settler Jacob Dovel expressed his desire for a church beside the cemetery. Congregants built a log structure in 1835, followed by a frame church around the time of the Civil War, before constructing the current brick structure in 1882, funded by Dovel himself.
Over the years, the church served Evangelical United Brethren and Gethsemane United Methodist congregations before becoming Maranatha Community Church in 2003.
The tours will also explore the stories behind many of Pickerington’s founding families, including the Dovels, Kraners, Pickerings, Taylors, Goods, and Ebrights.
“These particular graves were chosen so we could focus on early Pickerington history as part of our America 250 celebration,” Portier said.
Visitors will learn how Dovel provided several of his children with 160-acre farms and brick homes, many of which still stand today, including homes on Hill Road, Refugee Road, and West Columbus Street.
Guides will also discuss the Kraner family’s role in operating one of Pickerington’s earliest general stores and post offices, the founding of the community library and bank, and the arrival of railroad mail service in 1879.
Other stops will focus on Abraham and Anna Pickering, founders of the original village of Jacksonville—later renamed Pickerington—as well as the Taylor family physicians who delivered generations of local residents and helped establish the community’s library, Homecoming celebration, and bank.
Participants will also hear stories about the Pickerington Creamery, Victory Park, and the founding of the Violet Township Volunteer Fire Department following a devastating 1927 fire.
Throughout the tours, volunteers and descendants of many of the featured families will share stories connected to the cemetery’s gravesites, offering a unique look into the people whose names still live on throughout the community today.
