A History of Scioto Township
Previous to April 16, 1803, Scioto Township existed under territorial authority for the convenience of the people in the adjustment of local affairs. Justices and other necessary civil officers were appointed by the governor. On the date above written, an act was passed by the State legislature, providing “That the associate judges of the court of common pleas, in each and every county within this State, shall meet on the tenth day of May next, at the places where courts are to be held, and shall proceed to lay out their counties, respectively, into a convenient number of townships.” In accordance with the provisions of this law, existing boundaries were affirmed, changed or abandoned, according to the decisions of the judges, while some new organizations were effected. The second section of the act provided, further: “That the judges aforesaid shall, at the time and placed aforesaid, appoint to each township a proper number of justices of the peace, who shall be elected on the twenty first day of June, at such place in each township as the said judges may direct, agreeable to the provisions of an act entitled, `An act directing the mode of conducting elections.’
For more information on the history of Scioto Township, Ross County, Ohio, visit: http://history.rays-place.com/oh/ross/scioto.htm
The Scioto Township Cemeteries
Grandview Cemetery
Grandview Cemetery (originally spelled Grand View as two words) was established around 1841. The ground the cemetery stands on looks down upon the valleys of the Scioto River and Paint Creek, with a panoramic view of the city of Chillicothe. The land for Grandview was purchased outside of the city limits of Chillicothe in order to provide a more restful setting for the new cemetery; one of the burial grounds it replaced later became the site of a railroad depot. Many famous people, including Thomas Worthington, Edward Tiffin, and William Allen, all of whom were former Ohio governors, are buried in the cemetery.
Grandview Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Greenlawn Cemetery
Greenlawn cemetery is designated as the Scioto Township burial ground, and is located southeast of Chillicothe, and in plain sight from Grand View. It is a well kept ground, under the management of a competent and efficient board of directors. This ground was laid out since the establishment of Grand View, though interments had been made on the site, as a private burial place, previous to its being thrown open to the public.