Johnny Morehouse

Johnny was born in 1855, the youngest son of John and Barbara Morehouse, who lived with them in back of his father's shoe repair shop. When he was 5 yrs old, he fell into the Miami & Erie Canal, which use to run along the present Patterson Blvd. in downtown Dayton, near the library. His best friend, who was his dog, tried to save him, but could not. Little Johnny died in 1860 by drowning. Legend has it that several days after he was buried, his dog appeared next to his grave. He would not leave his little friend. Visitors to the cemetery began to worry about the dog getting food and water. They began to leave bits of food for him. His headstone depicts little Johnny, his toys and his dog. People stop by all the time and place toys, clothes, and money on his grave. A lady who walks the cemetery collects the money off the graves and buys something for Johnny and the children at the homeless shelters. He is one of the most visited little boys in Woodland Cemetery.

Now they say that Johnny and his dog, reunited beyond the grave, roam the cemetery after hours. Barking is heard in the vicinity of the grave, and the two of them are spotted sometimes inside the perimeter fence.