Reclaim a tradition as nature intended 

Burial Services

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Heritage Acres strives to preserve land near Cincinnati through green burial, such as this wooded field

About Us

Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary is the first and only dedicated natural burial ground in the Cincinnati area. We are here to provide a “green burial” alternative for the Tri-State while offering compassionate care to individuals and families as they grieve and process the transitions of life and death. We also offer educational and recreational opportunities for the public to enjoy the beauty and wonder of nature.

Our commitment to creating a nature preserve where people may be laid to rest naturally calls us to compassion both for the earth, and for our fellow human beings. By centering environmental stewardship in our end-of-life choices, we can leave a legacy for future generations by protecting land from development, preserving habitats and ecosystems, and allowing our bodies to return naturally to the earth.

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We’re in Cincinnati Magazine!

To read more about our beautiful sanctuary, check out this article about Heritage Acres that appeared in the December 2020 issue of Cincinnati Magazine!

What is Natural Burial?

A natural or “green” burial is a legacy we all share, as members of the human family. “Green burial” is a time-honored tradition in many cultures, including our own. Today, green burial is also rooted in the spirit of social and environmental change – and Heritage Acres is committed to being part of that change.

Before there were contemporary conventional cemeteries with graves organized in carefully measured rows and marked by gray cement headstones, there were natural burial grounds and practices that did not include chemical embalming, varnished caskets with velvet lining, or concrete vaults. A natural burial is a return to a tradition that provides a simple, less wasteful, non-toxic means of dedicating one’s physical form back to the earth to rejoin the soil with dignity and minimal environmental impact.

At Heritage Acres, we are dedicated to changing the way we view and think about death. Each of us will die – and we believe death can be an experience that helps to restore our bonds with the earth. When we embrace death in a way that is truly community-based, transformation can occur. Grieving families can experience healing, acceptance and solace. Green burial reminds us that inhabiting a body that is bound for decay is part of who we are as living, breathing, sentient beings.

Finally, green burial is affordable. The cost of a natural burial in a dedicated natural burial sanctuary is dramatically less than the average cost of conventional burial. See our price list here.

The Heritage Acres Promise

  • commitment to serving families and loved ones
  • no embalming
  • no concrete or metal vaults
  • if a shroud or casket is used, it will be biodegradable
  • if a grave marker is used, it will be made of unpolished flat, natural stone or wood
  • no or minimal use of mechanized equipment
  • invitation for families and loved ones to participate in grave opening and/or closing
  • ceremonial practices determined by family members and loved ones

“I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love.” — Walt Whitman

Testimonials

Thank you so much for making the day so memorable. You are providing a beautiful setting for a farewell to those we love!

Jenny T.

Thanks to you and your dedicated team, for all your efforts to make this kind of natural burial possible in our area. I attended [a] burial ceremony today and was able to participate in a heartfelt gathering… to commemorate the passing of a true friend. There was something very comforting in handling the dirt, and helping to put his body to rest in the ground, without and physical or social barriers. It was an honor to be included.

Diane B.

From Our Newsletters

It’s Not Easy to Become a Tree

by | Aug 15, 2022 |

Many of us have favorite trees to which we are inexplicably drawn or remember that one tree that stood at the center of our childhood experience. For me, it was a sprawling maple tree in my back yard in rural Pennsylvania. That tree was at times my mother, at times my father, and always my best friend.

It is a splendid dream to want your body to become a tree after it dies. Your body would live on in this magnificent stately form of grace and beauty that symbolically represents life itself. The images of Capsula Mundi helped to popularize the idea of becoming a tree after death.

A Grave of One’s Own: The Body Politics of Green Burial

by | May 17, 2022 |

Originally published in “TalkDeath” on May 17th, 2022.

When Virginia Woolf wrote A Room of One’s Own in 1929, she was advocating for women to have a space to write, a space that would allow one’s creative freedom to flourish. In essence, she was also advocating for women to have body autonomy, to have a place to be alone and unseen in the nest of one’s imagination, to curl inward or fill a room with the full embodied presence of one’s artistic capacity.

The Chemistry of Cremated Remains

by | Apr 20, 2022 |

When we think of ashes, there are many images that might come to mind—the powdery remnants at the bottom of a fireplace in deep winter, the soft bed of a crackling campfire in the mountains, volcanic ash that nourishes a landscape after the lava flow has calmed and cooled. But for many of us, we think of our loved ones above all else.

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Contact Us

Are you interested in learning more about Heritage Acres? Would you like to get involved? Do you have suggestions or feedback for us? We’d love to hear from you.

Sanctuary Address:

796 Locust Corner Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45245

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 54381
Cincinnati, OH 45255

Phone: (513) 231-6438

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