Research on Pleasant Litchford’s Property

32.5 acres of Upper Arlington High school’s grounds

 After extensive research by Lee Bracken (UA Historical Society volunteer and professional librarian) and Gail Wilson (professional land surveyor, Franklin County Engineer’s Office), we can now share this abbreviated summary about the 32.5 acres willed to Catherine Depp in 1879. This tract includes the Litchford Cemetery and much of the current high school grounds.

Our findings include:

• Between Pleasant’s death in 1879 and Upper Arlington’s annexation of this land in 1951, this 32.5 acre tract was divided into multiple parcels and changed ownership multiple times. By the end of 1900, the property owners in this tract were no longer recognizable as Litchford descendants. See the summary timeline here.
  

• The cemetery designation was not included in legal deeds until 1906 as a result of a mortgage default lawsuit. This judgment also stipulated that Litchford heirs maintained access to, use of and responsibility for the cemetery, meaning the owners of the surrounding property no longer held a legal interest in that ½ acre.

Our research offers some historical context leading to the 1955 purchase of this land by the UA Board of Education when 32 acres were bought from non-Litchford relatives, resources were spent locating Litchford heirs regarding the overgrown ½ acre cemetery, and condemnation proceedings were initiated. See the 1954 (rev. 1955) plat map with detailed comments.