Community Events

The Women's Army Corps Veterans Association - Wolverine Chapter 67 will host a fanfare ceremony celebrating the life and service of Staff Sergeant Essie Dell Woods on Monday, July 7, at 10 a.m., at Elmwood Cemetery. Woods was a veteran of the “Six Triple-Eight” – the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the first Black all-women battalion in U.S. military history. The 6888th was sent to the European front during World War II to clear a massive backlog of undelivered mail, taking as its motto “No Mail, Low Morale.” Settling in Detroit after the war, SSG Woods turned her attention to organizing Wolverine Chapter 67 of the Women's Army Corps Veterans Association, which was chartered by the WACVA in June 1983. The chapter placed a marker on Essie’s grave last year, which will be dedicated at the ceremony. Members of the public are warmly invited to attend, with a reception in Elmwood’s chapel to follow. For more information or media inquiries, please contact Amy Elliott Bragg: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

Get to know Elmwood's history, art, nature and landscape from the comfort of a charming vintage trolley! We've partnered with Detroit's own Grand Trolley to bring you a delightful ride through our beautiful and historic 86-acre cemetery led by an expert guide. Tours will last about two hours. There will be some hop-off stops with a little bit of walking, but all stops are optional; just cruise and enjoy the scenery if you prefer! Tickets are $20 with a limited capacity of 24 people per tour. Sign up here for the trolley tour on Sunday, July 13 at 10 a.m. 

Elmwood Cemetery has been integrated since its founding in 1846, making it one of the oldest integrated cemeteries in the Midwest and a rich site of Detroit’s Black heritage. Join Jamon Jordan, Official Historian for the City of Detroit, for a tour of that heritage on July 19 at 11 a.m. From abolitionists William Lambert and George DeBaptiste to Mayor Coleman Young and Martha Jean “The Queen” Steinberg, we’ll visit notable Black leaders, luminaries, activists, entrepreneurs, artists and more who made Detroit the city it is today. This tour is free, but please sign up here.

See Elmwood in a new light! Join us for a twilight stroll of the cemetery in July. We'll visit the cemetery's historical highlights and wrap up at the gatehouse as the sun sets and the Buck Moon rises. Sign up here for the twilight walk on Sunday, July 27 from 7 to about 9 p.m. 

Join the Detroit Bird Alliance and the Historic Elmwood Foundation for a birding walk at the cemetery! This is a great field trip for birders of all ages and experience levels. We'll walk the grounds to identify the species we see throughout the cemetery and discuss bird migration, habitats and a few Elmwood history highlights. Tours begin at 8:30 a.m. Bring your own binoculars, or Detroit Bird Alliance will have some on-hand to borrow. We will gather in the chapel following the walk for refreshments and discussion. Register with the Detroit Bird Alliance at their Eventbrite. 

Detroit, once known by the code name “Midnight,” was one of the last and most important stops on the Underground Railroad and home to a robust Black-led community of anti-slavery activists, many of whom are buried at Elmwood. Join Jamon Jordan, Official Historian of the City of Detroit, for a tour exploring the history and context of the Underground Railroad in Detroit and Michigan. Elmwood is proud to be a significant site on the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. August 10 at 11 a.m. The tour is free, but registration is required; sign up here.