"A cemetery is a place where a life lived becomes real, memories spring to life,
and future generations come to remember."

The Washington Park Cemetery Association is an Indiana not-for-profit organization with seven cemeteries located in the Greater Indianapolis Area. We are dedicated to providing the burial and celebratory needs of the Greater Indianapolis area.

Each of our cemeteries offers a variety of: ground burial options, community and personal mausoleum selections, plus a broad range of cremation memorialization options – each located in beautiful, natural surroundings. Many of our locations have a Flanner & Buchanan Funeral Center on their grounds for added convenience and cost savings.

Our Washington Park East location features services unique to any cemetery in the country. Its Community Life Center brings "celebrating life's events" to a new level of quality and meaning. Our Memorial Park location gives Indianapolis a lower-cost option for funeral and cemetery needs.

The Association is comprised of the following locations:
Hamilton Memorial Gardens, Hwy. 32 & Shady Nook Rd. Westfield
Oaklawn Memorial Gardens, 96th and Allisonville Road
Washington Park East Cemetery, East Washington Street and German Church Road
Washington Park North Cemetery, Kessler Blvd. and Cooper Road
(The above locations have a Flanner & Buchanan Funeral Center on the grounds)

Memorial Park Cemetery, East Washington Street
(Legacy Funeral Alternatives is on the grounds for your convenience)

Floral Park Cemetery, Holt and Cossell Roads
West Ridge Park, 21st and County Line Road

History
Floral Park was the Association’s first location, established on the west side of Indianapolis in 1919 by Charles J. Buchanan. From its humble beginning, Floral Park has grown to become the premiere cemetery on the city’s west side.

The next expansion came in 1955, when the Board of what was then the Floral Park Cemetery Association, purchased what is now known as Washington Park North Cemetery & Funeral Center. This cemetery was established around 1930. It was designed by George Kessler, a student of Frederick Olmstead, the man who designed Central Park in New York City. The cemetery currently has 150 acres which includes the old Glen Haven Cemetery. Washington Park North added a Family Center for community and family events and a Flanner & Buchanan Funeral Center in 1995.

In 1956 a cemetery near Cumberland, Indiana, was purchased. Today, Washington Park East Cemetery & Funeral Center serves over 1,000 families each year. The park was established as a Masonic cemetery in the 1920's. Of unique interest, the cemetery sits on property that was a farm owned by the Buchanan family. When the cemetery was purchased by our Association, Paul H. Buchanan, Sr., was the president. The Buchanan family first settled in the Cumberland area in the 1820s, and is active on the WPCA Board today.

In the early 1970s, a small cemetery on County Line Road & 21st Street was added to the Association and was renamed Floral Park West. This cemetery was started in 1928 to serve a community of African Americans that lived in the area. Improvements have been made over the years and in the 1980s the cemetery began offering mausoleum crypts and built an indoor chapel for committal services. In 2001 the cemetery was renamed West Ridge Park to give it a separate identity from Floral Park Cemetery.

The Association’s other cemeteries were added over the years through acquisition. Oaklawn Memorial Gardens & Funeral Center, a memorial park on Allisonville Road in Hamilton County, was added to the Association in 1982. Today, Oaklawn has three community mausoleums, two lakes, a personal mausoleum area, and a Flanner & Buchanan Funeral Center.

Memorial Park Cemetery was added to the Association in 1984. For added convenience this ninety-six acre Park added a funeral service, Legacy Funeral Alternatives in 2001.

Hamilton Memorial Park & Funeral Center is the newest addition to the Association, dedicated to serving the burial and cremation needs of an expanding Hamilton County. This park developed twenty four acres in its first phase and has over 100 acres in total. A Flanner & Buchanan Funeral Center overlooks a large lake and waterfall feature in the center of the property.

Since its beginnings, the Association has been nurtured by members of the Buchanan family. Starting with Charles, then Paul Sr., Paul Jr., and now Brian and Bruce Buchanan. Today’s leadership group includes Theodore Mau IV, president, and Bruce George, vice president of operations.

Today, Washington Park Cemetery Association locations offer the full range of mausoleum, ground and cremation services. Many have facilities for funeral events plus catering and other special service options. We are committed to serving our community in the best way possible.