Future Site of Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary, in Pierce Township, Clermont County, Ohio
On April 26, 2019, Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary LLC made a down payment and entered into a purchase agreement with Misty Meadows Farm LLC to buy 40 acres of property in Pierce Township, on the east side of Cincinnati just outside I-275. Now that the future location of Heritage Acres has been identified and is under contract, our congregation’s unique green burial initiative has six months to raise the remaining funds necessary to close on the property and begin operation.
“This is the next major step toward our goal of being open to the public by the end of this year,” said Rev. Bill Gupton, President of the Heritage Acres Board. “I am confident that we will soon be able to offer the Cincinnati community this region’s first and only dedicated natural burial ground. Heritage Acres will provide an option previously unavailable anywhere in the Tri-State region. And we are very proud of the fact that our burial ground will preserve and protect 40 beautiful acres of land in its natural state, in a rapidly growing part of town. This is a win-win for our church, consumers, and the environment.”
The Board of Heritage UU Church voted to create Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary as a non-profit green burial cemetery and nature preserve in Nov. 2016. The past two and a half years have seen steady progress, a tireless search for land, and the creation of the business infrastructure and organizational planning necessary to undertake such a project. During 2017, a total of 28 individuals stepped up to join the Heritage Acres Founders Circle. Toward the end of 2018, a capital fund drive was initiated.
To date nearly $200,000 has been raised to support the operation of Heritage Acres and its purchase of property. Beginning in June, professional fundraisers Chanticleer Consulting and their founder Lisa Williams, a former Heritage Church member and past HUUC Board President, will be working with Heritage Acres to complete a capital fund drive by identifying and reaching out to major donors throughout the Cincinnati and Tri-State region.
If you have made a pledge to the Heritage Acres capital fund drive, or have been considering doing so, please contact any member of the Heritage Acres Board – Rev. Bill Gupton, Donna Buckley, Robert James, Laura Knight or Dave Spinney – to help support this preservation project. Spread the word (and fund drive brochures, which are available in the church lobby) among your friends and neighbors.
If you are interested in discussing burial options at Heritage Acres, please speak with Rev. Bill Gupton.
Green burial is coming to Cincinnati, and we are proud to be making it possible!
Map of Clermont County, Ohio, with Pierce Township Highlighted
