Progressive Field holds one unique distinction over all other Major League Baseball stadiums in that it sits right next to a cemetery (which does make for a very scenic walk to the ballpark). And not just any cemetery: Progressive Field is neighbors with Erie Street Cemetery, the oldest existing cemetery in the city.
Established in 1826 at what was then the edge of the city, Erie Street Cemetery is also named after East 9th Street's original name and contains more than 17,000 internments. This includes many of the city's earliest residents and veterans who served in the Revolutionary War up through the Spanish-American War.
Some of the most notable burials at Erie Street include Lorenzo Carter (the city's first permanent white settler), John W. Willey (the first mayor of Cleveland), Joc-O-Sot (a Meskwaki chief, though that claim has been disputed over the years), David Eldridge (the first person of European descent to die in the Western Reserve, Leonard Case Jr. (the namesake of Case Western Reserve University), and many more. In a lot of cases, such as Case's, the remains were eventually moved to other sites, often Lake View Cemetery.
Like any cemetery that sits smack dab in the middle of a city, Erie Street Cemetery has faced various development threats over the years. However, it was named an official Ohio historical site in 2009 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2024, securing its future within Cleveland.
The Lore Behind Joc-O-Sot and His Gravestone
After fighting in the Black Hawk War, Joc-O-Sot found his way to Cleveland, where he became friends with Dr. Horace Ackley and theater promoter Dan Marble, eventually traveling the world with Marble's theater troupe. In June 1844, Joc-O-Sot even met Queen Victoria, who commissioned a portrait of him.
During that trip to England, Joc-O-Sot fell ill with tuberculosis or "quick consumption" and died upon his return to Cleveland. He was buried in Erie Street Cemetery, though his remains were likely taken at some point and used for medical experimentation.
The story goes that as Joc-O-Sot lay dying in Cleveland, he desperately wanted to be returned home to Sauk land in Missouri to be buried with his people. For whatever reason, that request was never granted, and it's believed Joc-O-Sot's ghost roams the cemetery at night, forced to return to his grave each morning. To some, that also explains the various acts of vandalism to his grave; it's Joc-O-Sot taking out some eternal frustration. It probably doesn't help either that they got his date of death wrong on his gravestone, too (it should read "August" instead of "September").
Oghema Niagara, also known as Chief Thunderwater, was Cleveland's last known "sachem" and fought to preserve Erie Street Cemetery. In regards to Joc-O-Sot's burial, he also declared that "should the body of Joc-o-Sot’s ever be touched, a terrible disaster would befall Cleveland."
Take a Stroll Through Erie Street Cemetery on the Way to a Guardians Game
Amid the hustle and bustle of the city, the cemetery is quiet and peaceful, a step back into Cleveland's rich past. It sure makes for a unique way to get to the ballpark; it's very cool to wander through the cemetery on game day and hear the rising crescendo of the stadium crowd while in the middle of this serene, secluded sanctuary. Looking at the stadium, the fans, and all of the street vendors from inside the cemetery makes for an interesting juxtaposition. You don't often get to see two distinct, far-flung eras butt up against each other like that, especially in Cleveland.
And back when Cleveland's baseball team was the Indians, it was believed that Joc-O-Sot had something to do with the team's decades of misfortune, so people would leave tokens at his grave. That superstition seems lost to time, but on a recent trip to Erie Street, I did find some items left on Joc-O-Sot's grave.
