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Take a Tour

A shaded woodland, home to Chinese and ring-necked pheasants, scurrying black squirrels and a family of blue heron. A rolling landscape studded with a wide and unique array of trees and natural flora. A stream, calmly flowing through green hills and valley. A place where natural beauty and old-world design meet to create a haven of peace, serenity and history, known as Elmwood Cemetery.

Click HERE for a visual tour and brief history of our memorial park. We have spotlighted only some of our notable buildings, monuments, and the Mausoleum Plaza Complex.

1. Chapel – The old-world style chapel located on our grounds is made of quarried limestone and designed in the Norman Gothic style. Originally built in 1856 it was restored in 1961. On November 17, 1976 it was destroyed in a fire. The building was reconstructed, using public donations, to its original grace and form. Today it is used extensively for committal services and as a place for reflection by many of our park’s visitors. It was renovated in 2007.
2. Veiled LadyDesigned and sculpted by Randolph Rogers, this graceful and lovely monument on the Waterman lot, has a long and interesting history. Carved of Carrera marble in Italy, it was shipwrecked off the Spanish Coast on its journey to Detroit in 1869. It was salvaged two years later, only to sink in the Hudson River and be recovered. The monument was later toppled over by a windstorm in 1919.
3. Flying Geese – Designed by Marshall Fredericks, this graceful statue sits on the Macauley lot at the rear of the chapel and faces the pond. (This monument is currently being repaired.)
4. Marble Urn – Located in the Hazel Dell section, this beautiful urn once graced the grounds of Grieg Hall, the home of the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg.
5. Parents Creek (a.k.a. "Bloody Run")– In the center of the green hills and valley of the park lies what was originally Parents Creek, named after the original property owners of the 1700’s. On this site on July 31, 1763 during the French and Indian War, Chief Pontiac’s Indians defeated the British regulars under the command of Captain Dalzell and the creek was renamed Bloody Run. Elmwood has preserved this historic section as part of the beauty and history of the cemetery.
6. Civil War Memorial Lot – Purchased by the State of Michigan in 1874 this lot was used exclusively as “a place of interment for deceased Michigan soldiers and sailors of the War of the Rebellion.” Approximately 84 remains of soldiers who were previously buried in the old soldier’s section were transferred to the new location which now contains the remains of 205 officers and men who fought in the Civil War. This area is one of the few in the United States where the flag is flown both night and day as a memorial to those patriots.
7. Gatehouse – Originally built in 1870 of quarried limestone in a late Victorian Gothic style, it was added to in the early 1890s and extensively restored in 1988 and 1989. The center window, shown left, was originally an open drive used to access the cemetery grounds. CLICK HERE for Gatehouse section information.
8. Mausoleum Plaza Complex – Completed in 1994, the mausoleum complex is situated on a serene site beside the calmly flowing brook. Individuals may choose from crypts in one of four sheltered galleries, cremation niches, or turf-top crypts located within the Plaza.
9. Joy Family – The Joy Family circular burial mound has a center colonnade style monument. James F. Joy, an attorney and the Detroit founder of the family, is buried with his descendents around him. Two of his sons, Richard P. and Henry B. were involved in the formation of Packard Motor Car Co. Henry was president of the company until World War I. Mrs. Helen Newbury Joy (wife of Henry) was a major Detroit philanthropist. She was one of the founders of United Foundation.
10. Cass Family – Lewis Cass, Michigan’s most powerful political figure from the 19th century, is buried east of this impressive casket shaped monument. Cass was Territorial Governor, U.S. Secretary of War, Minister to France, U.S. Senator, Presidential candidate and Secretary of State under President Buchanan. Six generations of his descendents are buried on this lot.
11. Steinberg Mausoleum – Martha Jean “The Queen” Steinberg is entombed in this gray and brown contemporary mausoleum. She was a Memphis Tennessee born radio pioneer, and was considered the first African-American woman radio station owner. In her lifetime she was recognized as Michigander of the Year (1996) and as a music pioneer by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
12. Young Sarcophagus - This single sarcophagus is the final resting place of Detroit’s four term Mayor Coleman Alexander Young. Young was a veteran of World War II, Army-Air Corp. “Tuskegee Airmen”. He was the Executive Director of the National Negro Labor Conference and a Michigan State Senator. He was the recipient of the Springarin Medal, the highest NAACP award.

13. Mausoleum Row - Nestled into a hillside, on one of the bends of the central valley, are a row of family mausoleums. Five of the cemeteries thirty private mausoleums stand side by side as examples of a Victorian way of life.

14. Green-Pack Mausoleum – Built into the hillside on the western side of the nearly 50 foot high slope are several late 19th century mausoleums. All of the structures are built using gray granite for the exterior stone. The interiors use various colors of marble for decoration and most have stone doors with iron trim. Pictured here is one of the two Pack Family Mausoleums.
bench Benches - Thanks to a generous donation from the Mary Thompson Foundation new benches have been placed in select public areas throughout the cemetery grounds. The benches have iron framework and wooden backs and seats, and were designed by Robert Moses for the 1932 World’s Fair. The benches sit upon antique paving bricks in landscaped areas.
garden Gardens - Enjoy the expanding gardens at Elmwood! Specific donations of time or funds can be designated to plant floral beds, hillside groundcover or natural grasses. Garden groups are invited to adopt small or large sections at the cemetery. Our grounds crew is here to help!
hills Landscaping - In 1890, the Trustees of Elmwood engaged renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead to promote a unified design for the grounds of Elmwood. The cemetery was planned as a “rural” style burial ground. Olmstead understood this to mean “that its scenery is to be predominating natural rather than artificial.” He continued, “Elmwood was probably chosen for a site for a cemetery because of the beauty of its natural scenery… places that we call peaceful, and that invite rest and contemplation.” Visitors to Elmwood can experience this design as they move about the grounds of the cemetery, with each turn of a lane presenting a different vista. Within Elmwood one can easily feel that the “city” is far away.
 

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