Established in 1837, by the order of the town council president, General George Sanderson, the city of Lancaster purchased the land from Thomas Ewing and Catherine Creed in 1835. Between 1837 and 1840 the cemetery was known as the East End Cemetery. By 1840, the cemetery was named Elmwood due to the elm trees that grew in the area, however these trees were later removed due to the Dutch elm disease that later infected them. Elmwood Cemetery holds the remains of many prominent members of Lancaster as well as many of the early pioneers, such as Joseph Hunter, General Sherman’s parents, Darius Tallmadge, and more. It also encompasses the victims of the 1823 Typhoid Fever outbreak as it claimed 10% of the town’s population.