Discovering the Hidden Cemetery on Dunham Road

I’ve driven up and down the Dunham Road hill in Walton Hills hundreds of times in my lifetime. It wasn’t until several years ago that I realized I’d been driving past a hidden cemetery the entire time.

The Grave of Edmond Gleeson on Egypt Mound

Before Dunham Road looked like it does today, the road came to an abrupt end at the bottom of hill down from Maple Heights, where it meets Button Rd. At that point, the community of Little Egypt could be found. In order to continue onto what is now Dunham Rd (but was once Egypt Rd), you’d have to make a right at the bottom of the hill and take Tinkers Creek Rd to the bridge that connected it to Egypt Rd. Obviously, things have changed quite a bit in the area, but a few pieces of Little Egypt still remain, like the grave of Edmond Gleeson.

Little Egypt once consisted of the area south of Tinkers Creek, where Bedford Reservation, part of the Cleveland Metroparks is now located. Part of their land consisted of the former Astorhurst Golf Club, which took up space both at the bottom of the hill across from the park, as well as on top of the slightly sharp hill to the south.

It’s this hill, as well as the upper part of the former golf course that are important here.

Egypt Mound

The village of Little Egypt was named after a mound located at the top of the hill, off to the east of Dunham Rd, across from the former golf course land. Early settlers claim that the mound looked like a pyramid, hence the name “Egypt Mound.” It’s also believed that the mound was created by Native Americans, but no excavations have been done to prove this, mostly due to the small cemetery located on top of the mound.

The Path to Egypt Mound

In order to get to Egypt Mound, you have to park across the street, in a turnoff located on the left at the top of the hill that used to be used by the golfers. You then have to cross Dunham Rd (carefully, due to traffic being unable to see you as cars go around the bend at the top of the hill) and walk into the woods. Obviously, this is best done in the late winter and early spring, when the vegetation is mostly bare.

Once you’re across the road, stay to the left of the fire hydrant and keep an eye out for the bricks (also try to avoid the pricker bushes), there isn’t much of a path left, but if you’re careful and stay due northeast, you’ll quickly see Egypt Mound. Walking up it requires you to dodge some downed trees and other small hazards, but once you get halfway up, you’ll see the grave.

The bricks are part of a structure that used to be called At World’s End. It was built by Moses Gleeson sometime , around 1827 and served as a stage coach stop and tavern. The structure closely resembled the one that still exists on Canal Road that’s now the CVNP Visitor Center.

Behind At World’s End (which burned down in the 1930s), and at the top of Egypt Mound, was a family cemetery used by the Gleeson family. Although most of the graves have been removed and buried in Bedford Cemetery, one still remains: that the Edmond Gleeson, Moses’ son, who died in 1854.

The fence that surrounded the small cemetery is now gone, but the stone posts remain in place.