Elmwood Cemetery in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

is one of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

's most important historic cemeteries. Located at 1200 Elmwood Street in Detroit's

Eastside Historic Cemetery District The Eastside Historic Cemetery District is a historic district bounded by Elmwood Avenue, Mt. Elliott Avenue, Lafayette Street, and Waterloo Street in Detroit, Michigan. The district consists of three separate cemeteries: Mount Elliott Cemetery ...

, Elmwood is the oldest continuously operating, non-denominational cemetery in Michigan.

History

The cemetery was dedicated October 8, 1846, as a

rural cemetery A rural cemetery or garden cemetery is a style of cemetery that became popular in the United States and Europe in the mid-nineteenth century due to the overcrowding and health concerns of urban cemeteries. They were typically built one to five ...

and incorporated as a non-profit corporation by Special Act 62 of the Michigan Legislature on March 5, 1849. The first burial occurred three weeks prior to the dedication on September 10, 1846. Founded by some of early Detroit's leading residents, Elmwood originally covered . Over time, it expanded to encompass and is the final resting-place of many notable Detroiters as well as ordinary citizens. In 1850, however, the cemetery became slightly smaller when Temple Beth El purchased one-half acre to establish what is now Michigan's oldest Jewish cemetery. The State of Michigan designated it as a State Historic Site in 1975. Burt family tombstone

Elmwood was the first fully racially-integrated cemetery in the Midwest. A short distance from downtown Detroit, Elmwood continues to serve residents of all ethnic backgrounds and religious beliefs. Elmwood's park-like grounds containing a gently-flowing stream and low hills were designed in 1890 by landscape architect

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...

. They are based on the design of

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural cemetery, rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middl ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. The

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

chapel on the grounds was constructed in 1856. It underwent renovation in 1961 and was destroyed by fire in 1976. With a public outpouring of support, the building was restored and continues to play an important role. Elmwood Chapel

In 1874, the state of Michigan purchased a section to inter

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

veterans and in 1876, the ''Firemen's Lot'' was dedicated with a monument that depicts firefighting equipment and the fire hall that once stood at the corner of the present

Renaissance Center The Renaissance Center (also known as the GM Renaissance Center and nicknamed the RenCen) is a group of seven connected skyscrapers in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. The Renaissance Center complex is on the Detroit International Riv ...

on Randolph and Jefferson Avenue. The Civil War section holds 205 graves today. The Gothic Revival gatehouse was added in 1876 and in 2003 its portal was closed and filled with a reception room designed to harmonize with the historic architecture. The gate was closed because it was unable to accommodate larger vehicles which needed access to the grounds.

In popular culture

The cemetery makes an appearance in the film ''

Detroit 9000 ''Detroit 9000'' is a 1973 American action film directed by Arthur Marks from a screenplay by Orville H. Hampton. Originally marketed as a blaxploitation film, it had a resurgence on video 25 years later. Plot Street-smart white detective Dan ...

'' as the scene of a shootout.

Prominent burials

Russell A. Alger Russell Alexander Alger (February 27, 1836 – January 24, 1907) was an American politician and businessman. He served as the 20th Governor of Michigan, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Secretary of War. He was supposedly a distant relation of author H ...

(1836–1907), Governor of Michigan (1885–1887),

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, and

U.S. Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of th ...

William Edmond Armitage William Edmond Armitage (September 6, 1830 – December 7, 1873) was a bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States. Born in New York City, Armitage graduated from Columbia College in 1849 and the General Theological Seminary in 1852. He ...

(1830–1873), second Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin (1870–1873) * John Biddle (1792–1859), delegate to

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

from

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...

Mayor of Detroit This is a list of mayors of Detroit, Michigan. See History of Detroit, Michigan, for more information about the history of the incorporation of the city. The current mayor is Mike Duggan, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014. History ...

(1827–1828) * Henry Billings Brown (1836–1913),

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

(1890–1906) *

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was an American military officer, politician, and statesman. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He w ...

(1782–1866), Michigan Territorial Governor (1813–1831), U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of War,

U.S. Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

, and the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

presidential nominee in the 1848 United States presidential election. *

Zachariah Chandler Zachariah Chandler (December 10, 1813 – November 1, 1879) was an American businessman, politician, one of the founders of the Republican Party, whose radical wing he dominated as a lifelong abolitionist. He was mayor of Detroit, a four-term sena ...

(1813–1879), U.S. Senator from Michigan,

U.S. Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural ...

, Mayor of Detroit (1851–1852) * Philip St. George Cooke (1809–1895),

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states t ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Donald M. Dickinson Donald McDonald Dickinson (January 17, 1846 – October 15, 1917) was a lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Biography Dickinson was born in The town of Richland, Oswego County, New York, on January 17, 1846, the son of Asa C ...

(1846–1917), U.S. Postmaster General (1888–1889) * J. P. C. Emmons (1818–1877), Michigan State Representative (1848),

Florida Attorney General The Florida attorney general is an elected cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The attorney general serves as the chief legal officer of the state and is head of the Florida Department of Legal Affairs. The office is one of Florida's t ...

(1872–1873) *

Elon Farnsworth Elon John Farnsworth (July 30, 1837 – July 3, 1863) was a Union Army captain in the American Civil War. He commanded Brigade 1, Division 3 of the Cavalry Corps (Union Army) from June 28, 1863 to July 3, 1863, when he was mortally wounded and die ...

(1799–1847),

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

from 1843 to 1845 and

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of Michigan *

William Webb Ferguson William Webb Ferguson (May 22, 1857 – March 30, 1910) was the first African-American man elected to the Michigan House of Representatives. Early life Ferguson was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Joseph and Martha Ferguson. His father, Joseph ...

(1857–1910), first African-American man elected to the Michigan House of Representatives * Harry P. Guy (1870–1950),

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

composer *

Douglass Houghton Douglass Houghton (September 21, 1809 – October 13, 1845) was an American geologist and physician, primarily known for his exploration of the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. It was the site of a copper boom and extensive copper mining beginnin ...

(1809–1845), geologist and Mayor of Detroit (1842) * Jacob M. Howard (1805–1871), U.S. Senator from Michigan (1862–1871), helped draft

Thirteenth In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octa ...

and Fourteenth Amendments to the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

Bela Hubbard Bela Hubbard (April 23, 1814 – June 13, 1896) was a 19th-century naturalist, geologist, writer, historian, surveyor, explorer, lawyer, real estate dealer, lumberman and civic leader of early Detroit, Michigan. Hubbard is noted as one of the ...

(1814–1896), geologist, surveyor * Jonathan Kearsley (1786–1859), two-time Mayor of Detroit (1826, 1829) and veteran of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

Charles Larned General Charles Larned (ca. 1787–August 13, 1834, Detroit) was an American lawyer, military officer, and politician. He fought in the War of 1812 and was Attorney General of Michigan Territory. Biography Early life Charles Larned was ...

(c. 1787 – 1834), Attorney General of Michigan Territory and veteran of the War of 1812 *

Lucius Lyon Lucius Lyon (February 26, 1800September 24, 1851) was a U.S. statesman from the state of Michigan. Along with Louis Campau, Lucius Lyon is remembered as one of the founding fathers of Grand Rapids, Michigan, the state's second-largest city. A ...

(1800–1851), U.S. Senator from 1837 to 1839, first congressman from Michigan's second district and a founding father of

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

* Margaret Mather (1859–1898), Victorian actress *

James McMillan James (or Jim or Jimmy) McMillan or MacMillan may refer to: Sportspeople * James McMillan (footballer, born c. 1866) (c. 1866–?), played for Sunderland * James McMillan (footballer, born 1869) (1869–1937), played for Scotland,Everton and St ...

(1838–1902), U.S. senator from 1889 to 1902 * Robert McClelland (1807–1880), 4th

United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural ...

* Charles Merrill (1792–1872), American entrepreneur and lumber tycoon * Truman H. Newberry (1864–1945), businessman, U.S. Senator from Michigan (1919–1922),

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

John Norvell John Norvell (December 21, 1789April 24, 1850) was a newspaper editor and one of the first U.S. Senators from Michigan. History Norvell was born in Danville, Kentucky, then still a part of Virginia, where he attended the common schools. He is t ...

(1789–1850), U.S. Senator (1837–1841), War of 1812 veteran and newspaper editor *

Thomas W. Palmer Thomas Witherell Palmer (January 25, 1830 – June 1, 1913) was a U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan. He is considered to be one of the most significant figures in the history of Detroit, Michigan. Palmer was born in Detroit, where his m ...

(1830–1913), U.S. Senator (1883–1889) * Zina Pitcher (1797–1872), physician and two-time Mayor of Detroit (1840–1841, 1843) * Andrew Porter (1820–1872), U.S. Army general in the Civil War * Jerome H. Remick (1867–1931), music publisher * James Robinson (1753–1868), African-American Revolutionary War and 1812 War Veteran *

Solomon Sibley Solomon Sibley (October 7, 1769 – April 4, 1846) was an American politician and jurist in the Michigan Territory who became the first mayor of Detroit. Early life: 1769–1815 Sibley was born in Sutton, Massachusetts, the son of Ruth and Reube ...

(1769–1846), delegate to U.S. Congress from Michigan Territory, Territorial Supreme Court Justice, and first Mayor of Detroit (1806) under the first charter *

Fred "Sonic" Smith Frederick Dewey Smith (September 14, 1948 – November 4, 1994), known professionally as Fred "Sonic" Smith, was an American guitarist, best known as a member of the influential and political Detroit rock band MC5. At age 31, he married and rai ...

(1949–1994), guitarist best known for his work with the rock band

MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...

* Martha Jean Steinberg (1930–2000), radio personality * David Stuart (1816–1868), congressman (1853–1855) *

Sam Thompson Samuel Luther "Big Sam" Thompson (March 5, 1860 – November 7, 1922) was an American professional baseball player from 1884 to 1898 and with a brief comeback in 1906. At , the Indiana native was one of the larger players of his day and was known ...

(1860–1922), outfielder and

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

member * Hiram Walker (1816–1899), entrepreneur; founder Hiram Walker and Sons Distillery * Eber Brock Ward (1811–1875), Detroit's first millionaire *

Alpheus S. Williams Alpheus Starkey Williams (September 20, 1810 – December 21, 1878) was a lawyer, judge, journalist, U.S. Congressman, and a Union Army, Union general in the American Civil War. Early life Williams was born in Deep River, Connecticut. He gradua ...

(1810–1878), American Civil War general and U.S. Representative from Michigan. * John R. Williams (1782–1854), first and sixth Mayor of Detroit under the second charter (1824–1825, 1830) and namesake of John R. Street * Thomas Williams (1815–1862), American Civil War general killed at the Battle of Baton Rouge *

Coleman Young Coleman Alexander Young (May 24, 1918 – November 29, 1997) was an American politician who served as mayor of Detroit, Michigan, from 1974 to 1994. Young was the first African-American mayor of Detroit. Young had emerged from the far-left ele ...

(1918–1997), Mayor of Detroit (1974–1994)

References

External links

{{Portal, Michigan
Elmwood Cemetery official site

Find A Grave: Famous burials in Elmwood

Find A Grave: Burials in Elmwood

Tales from the Crypts: Elmwood Cemetery stories
(''The Detroit News'')

Cemeteries in Michigan Geography of Detroit Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Historic district contributing properties in Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites in Wayne County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Detroit Protected areas of Wayne County, Michigan 1846 establishments in Michigan Frederick Law Olmsted works Rural cemeteries Tourist attractions in Detroit