Few people know historic Riverside Cemetery better than Ginny Gross. At the May 22, 2007 meeting of the Oshkosh Common Council, Ginny received a well-deserved Acanthus Award from the Landmarks Commission for her ongoing work preserving and exploring the history of Riverside Cemetery.

Ginny joined the staff of the Oshkosh Public Museum in 2002 and shortly thereafter began to research Riverside by transcribing a register of burials to make it easier to find graves. As Ginny walked the rows of stones to confirm locations, she began learning about the history of the cemetery. This led to a natural second part and shortly thereafter, she began leading cemetery tours. The purpose, she explained, was to introduce residents to the cemetery and the fascinating stories it holds. In the last three years, she has given 37 tours to over 600 people.

As she continued to research and her knowledge increased, Ginny realized the first cemetery register was incomplete. In 2006, she started a second, more thorough register covering the period 1841 to 1908 based on records, obituaries, and walking the rows. In doing so, she noticed that flag holders on the graves of some veterans were either missing or damaged. Ginny felt the graves of veterans should be properly marked and is now working to repair or replace bent, broken, or missing flag holders.

Through all of her research and work, Ginny Gross learns and preserves the history of Oshkosh, one person at a time. If you would like to take part in this summer’s cemetery tours, please check out the tour dates, or call the museum at 920-236-5762.