"When the leaves fall, the whole earth is a cemetery pleasant to walk in."
-Henry David Thoreau
In the cycle of seasons it's almost ironic that the explosive colors of spring are answered by the fiery decay of fall. And just as brilliant reds, oranges and yellows signal the long slumber of a coming winter, ornate headstones and regal masoleums mark the eternal slumber of death. So what better way to experience the tapestry of autumn colors (and reflect on your mortality) than to visit a historic graveyard.
In this travelMode piece, we’ll acquaint you with a few Michigan cemeteries to explore by day or by night (for those with balls enough to traipse among the dead at dark). These historic, majestic and somewhat eerie spots are just a sampling of the hundreds of Michigan cemeteries that warrant investigation.
So whether you have a fetish for zombies or hankering for history, your October plans ought to include a walk with Michigan’s interred.
Burial Grounds of the Countryside
Peppered throughout the Michigan countryside you’ll find both small and substantial burial grounds, many of them with artistic structures and poignant histories.
On a drive southwest out of Ann Arbor, it would be difficult not to stop and gawk at the entranceway to Brookside Cemetery, on the north side of Tecumseh. The 40-foot granite arch leading into Brookside Cemetery is phenomenal, as is the fact that more than 300 civil war soldiers are buried here, and tombstones from the 1850s through 1870s dominate the landscape.
At the Clinton Grove Cemetery, in Clinton Township, north of Detroit, an 1885 caretaker’s house is a reminder of the attention given to preserve the lovely grounds of this cemetery. Clinton Grove aptly illustrates the 19th century rural cemetery movement that combined nature and funerary art into spectacular landscapes. With 6,000 burials dating back to the 1800s, it’s not surprising that Clinton Grove is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Not all country cemeteries have spectacular focal points, but are beautiful in their simplicity. Such is the case with Mouth Cemetery in White River Township in Muskegon County. Among tall grasses and conifers, a mere 76 burials from the 1800s are marked, but the vestiges of wooden crosses imply others. The first White River Lighthouse keeper, William Robinson, was buried here in 1919, as was Quismoqua Anderson, an Ottawa woman who died at age 110 in the year 1897.
Auto Baron Resting Places of Detroit
If you consider yourself an amateur historian, a seeker of spirits past, or the ultimate Detroit auto buff, you’ll surely want to spend sunny fall afternoon prowling about metro Detroit graveyards, honoring past auto barons.
In 1925, when Detroit’s auto industry was booming, and black influence in the city was growing, Detroit Memorial Park in Warren was founded out of passion and justice. Wilbur B Hughes III, cemetery general manager, suspects that thousands of African American factory workers are buried here. “Henry Ford’s five dollars a day brought a lot of black families up from the South and those families needed a place to bury loved ones.” Others of subtle and not-so-subtle fame in the manufacturing field are interred here, including Elijah McCoy (of the expression “the real McCoy”), who invented and patented a lubricating system used worldwide.
If you visit the cemetery, you’ll find old, opulent headstones, along with pretty gardens, including the Garden of Love, Garden of Prayer, and Garden of Truth.
Sprawled along the west side of Woodward Avenue between Seven and Eight Mile roads is one of Detroit’s more infamous cemeteries. At Woodlawn Cemetery are the graves of many who contributed to the rise of the Motor City, including Edsel and Eleanor Ford, John Dodge, and Olds associate Roy D. Chapin, who drove a Curved Dash Olds from Detroit to New York City in 1901, completing the longest automobile trip in America at that time.
Other notable Detroiters are buried here, including Mayor Albert Cobo, department store magnate J.L. Hudson, and, most recently, civil rights icon Rosa Parks at the Rosa L. Parks Freedom Chapel.
An afternoon stroll through Woodmere Cemetery’s 200 rolling acres offers a feast for the eyes and the emotions. Ornate mausoleums, an old Civil War monument, and headstones dating back to the 1860s can be studied in this corner of southwest Detroit. Michigan auto magnates David Buick and Henry Leland (a brilliant innovator who built engines for Olds and Cadillac) are buried here.
Yet among the rich history and beauty at Woodmere, you’ll also find an ugly reminder of human iniquity: the burial sites of four men whose lives were lost in the 1932 Ford Hunger March in the midst of the Great Depression.
Poor Farms and Graveyards of Grand Rapids
Clustered throughout Grand Rapids and its surrounding communities are numerous historic cemeteries that pay tribute to the dead while enhancing local scenery.
An 1850s burial ground, now called Oak Hill Cemetery (at Hall St. and Eastern Ave.), is distinctive for a number of reasons. The southwest corner of the cemetery was bought by Grand Rapids’ Hebrews in 1857. Moved by the death of Jewish fur trader Jacob Levy, a local Jew raised $500 to purchase the hilltop parcel. The Hebrew burying ground led to the creation of the Jewish Benevolent and Burial Society.
Oak Hill also has the oddest juxtaposition of graves, from three, neoclassical, fancy-ass mausolea built as luxurious resting places for the wealthy, to a Potter’s Field – a burial area for the poor.
Another great place for historic tombstones sits on the west side of Grand Rapids in the hamlet of Whitneyville. Near the top of the hill at Whitneyville Cemetery in a peaceful setting rest two stones from the early 1800s for Oscar and Harriet Whitney – perhaps the town’s founders. Whitneyville Cemetery is exceptional for its simplicity and because all the tombstones here have been well-maintained and are in tact.
In contrast, at Kent County Poor Farm Cemetery, also known as Maple Grove Cemetery, many of the headstones are crumbling, have been moved or are otherwise in a state of disrepair. Located along a trail behind the Luther Home off 32nd St. NE, a plaque at the gate notes that the graveyard was established in 1857 as a Potter’s Field. Expect melancholy feelings to surface here: many stones have sunk so far into the earth that they are unreadable; some cement headstones don’t even have a name and date of death – merely a number.
These are just a few of the notable historic graveyards of Michigan where you can walk among the departed, remembering that each soul has its own story. But you’re apt to stumble upon others on an ordinary Sunday drive to the pumpkin patch or on a forage for fresh apple cider. Whatever the case, graveyards are just another way to explore the great state of Michigan – a chance to smell decaying leaves, pay homage to the departed, and enjoy both primitive and elaborate funerary art.
"What glorious peace I now enjoy
Free from pain and earths alloy
My happy spirit soars away
To live with God in heavenly day."
-From an 1862 tombstone at Alward Lake Cemetery,
Olive Township, on the outskirts of DeWitt, Michigan.
Melinda Clynes is a Detroit-area freelancer. Each month she offers up another unique take on Michigan travel. Her last travelMode article was Retro Road Trip.
Photos:
The Dodge Brothers Mauseleum - Woodlawn Cemetery (courtesy photo)
Historic postcard, Woodmere Cemetery - Detroit (courtesy photo)
Grave detail - Woodlawn Cemetery (courtesy photo)
Oak Hill Cemetery - Grand Rapids (photo by Brian Kelly)