Elmwood Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)
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Elmwood Cemetery
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| Location | 1200 Elmwood Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48207  United States
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| Coordinates | 42°20′50″N 83°1′7″W / 42.34722°N 83.01861°WCoordinates: 42°20′50″N 83°1′7″W / 42.34722°N 83.01861°W |
| Built | 1841 |
| Architectural style | Other |
| Part of | Eastside Historic Cemetery District (#82000550) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | December 02, 1982 |
| Designated MSHS | February 21, 1975 |
Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit is one of Michigan's most important historic cemeteries. Located at 1200 Elmwood Street in Detroit's Eastside Historic Cemetery District, Elmwood is the oldest continuously operating, non-denominational cemetery in Michigan.
The cemetery was dedicated October 8, 1846 as a rural cemetery 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 42 acres (170,000 m2). Over time, it expanded to encompass 86 acres (350,000 m2) 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.
Elmwood was the first fully 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. They are based on the design of Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Gothic Revival 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.
In 1874, the State of Michigan purchased a section to inter Civil War 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 on Randolph and Jefferson Avenue. The Civil War section holds 205 graves today.
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