DETROIT (WWJ) -- Detroit cemetery tours are back, just in time for Halloween.
After a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Preservation Detroit is again offering afternoon walking tours of the art and architecture found in the city's final resting places for many historic leaders and celebrities, from politicians and activists, to Motown legends and beer moguls.
Notable gravesites include Rosa Parks, Aretha Franklin, former Detroit Mayor Hazen S. Pingree and Bernhard Stroh, the founder of Stroh's beer.
Tours started on Saturday with Mt. Elliot Cemetery, while tours will continue every Saturday throughout the month of October, at Elmwood (Oct. 9), Mt. Elliott again (Oct. 16), Mt. Olivet (Oct. 23) and Woodlawn (Oct. 30).
Tickets are going fast for the popular tours after last year's cancellation. Tickets can be purchased https://preservationdetroit.org/cemetery-theatre-tours. Only advance tickets are accepted.
Tickets are available for purchase until 6 p.m. the Friday before each tour, or until sold out. Tickets are $20 for Preservation Detroit members and $25 for nonmembers. All tour revenue benefits the nonprofit, which is dedicated to preserving Detroit's architectural heritage.
Here is brief look at each of these historic cemeteries:
Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery on the east side of Detroit is one of Michigan's most significant cemeteries. Long before it was a cemetery, Elmwood was the site of a massive battle in 1763 called the Battle of Bloody Run. Dedicated in 1846, Elmwood was Michigan's first nondenominational cemetery; one of the first racially integrated cemeteries in the Midwest; and later was redesigned by noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead to instill a calm contemplation of nature. It is the final resting place of mayors, governors, veterans of every war since the Revolution, abolitionists and countless notable Detroiters, including Gov. and Sen. Lewis Cass, Mayor Coleman A. Young, radio personality Martha Jean "The Queen" Steinberg, guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith of the MC5, and Bernhard Stroh, creator of the Stroh's family of beers.
Mt. Elliott Cemetery
Mt. Elliott is one of Detroit's oldest cemeteries, consecrated in 1841 and dedicated to the large Catholic community in Detroit. It serves as the final resting place for many generations of prominent Detroiters and everyday citizens. Established not long after Michigan achieved statehood, many of the city's earliest European settlers were re-buried here after being moved from the original St. Anne's church cemetery. Descendants of Detroit's early French settlers, including the Campau, Beaubien, Chene, Palms and Moross families, as well as members of the Irish, Polish, Flemish and German immigrant communities, are represented with monuments to their esteemed dead. Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanagh, the Schoenherr family, the Van Dyke family, and many noted businessmen, politicians, lawyers and judges, and clergy were laid to rest here.
Mt. Olivet Cemetery
Mt. Olivet is the largest cemetery in Detroit, consecrated in 1888 and home to stately oaks and many large family mausoleums. As the burial spot of choice for many generations of families on Detroit's east side, Mt. Olivet is a tranquil resting place and a significant monument to nearly one and a half centuries of Detroit history. Hear stories about the famous and the infamous, from Titanic survivors to Mafia bosses.
Woodlawn Cemetery
Woodlawn Cemetery on the north side of Detroit, along Woodward Avenue near 8 Mile, is the final resting place of many of Detroit's notable citizens. From the eccentric Dodge Brothers to the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, Woodlawn's extensive and beautiful grounds have welcomed a wide variety of Detroiters, including Mayors Hazen S. Pingree, James Couzens and Albert Cobo; auto magnates Roy Chapin and Edsel Ford; businessmen Frank Hecker and J.L. Hudson; civil rights activist Rosa Parks; plus numerous Motown, gospel, and hip-hop stars, entertainers, and sports figures.
