The first Catholic cemetery in Dayton, St. Henry's, was established in 1844. St. Henry's was located on six acres bordered by Main Street, Ashley, Frank, and Rubicon. Over the years, the city grew up around the old cemetery, and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati was unable to maintain it. Epidemics and the Civil War filled the space with more than six thousand interments. Floods and storms and a lack of funds left the grounds in poor condition. In 1872, a group of priests and local businessmen formed the Calvary Cemetery Association with the intent of providing sanctified ground for Catholic burials at that time and far into the future. They purchased 100 acres of what was then called The Bluffs, high ground just outside the city limits—ground that may have once been used by indigenous Mound Builders. Another 100 acres were secured over time. Over the next 20 years, the remains of St. Henry's were removed to Calvary. Some 4,000 went unclaimed and unidentified. These remains were buried in a mass grave, with St. Henry's Memorial Chapel built over it in their honor.