Eastside Historic Cemetery District
Encyclopedia
The Eastside Historic Cemetery District is a historic district bounded by Elmwood Avenue, Mt. Elliott Avenue, Lafayette Street, and Waterloo Street in Detroit, Michigan
. The district consists of three separate cemeteries: Mount Elliott Cemetery (Catholic, established 1841), Elmwood Cemetery (Protestant, established 1846), and the Lafayette Street Cemetery (Jewish, established 1850). The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982.
Mount Elliott Cemetery is the oldest extant cemetery in the city of Detroit, and contains 65 acres (263,045.9 m²). It is located on Mount Elliott Avenue just north of Lafayette Street.
and established their own parish. By 1840, they decided they wanted their own cemetery. In 1841, the parish purchased 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) of farmland from the Leib farm for $400.
The first burial in the cemetery occurred only twelve days after its establishment when Robert Elliott, an architect, judge, and founding member of the committee that created the cemetery, was laid to rest. He had been killed in a construction accident. The cemetery was christened "Mount Elliott" in his honor.
A second parcel of land was purchased for the cemetery in 1865, and a third in 1881; this brought the size of the cemetery to its current 65 acres (263,045.9 m²). A stone gateway into the cemetery was completed the same year. In 1869, remains from Detroit's Ste. Anne Cemetery were moved and re-interred at Mount Elliott. Among the remains moved was Colonel Jean François Hamtramck
.
The entrance to Mt. Elliott Cemetery is through a stone gateway designed and built by Walter Schweikart in 1882 at a cost of $6,000. Schweikart also built the entrance to the nearby Elmwood cemetery.
In 1872, Fireman's Fund bought large lots for $500 apiece in both Mt. Elliott and Elmwood Cemeteries for the purpose of burying firefighters. In 1889, the Fund erected a marker at the site for a cost of $2,965.
A Gothic Revival chapel, designed by Albert and Octavius Jordan, was added in 1856. The limestone chapel blends into the natural ravine and landscaping. Gordon Lloyd designed the Gothic-inspired gatehouse in 1870..
The 1856 chapel, which had fallen into disuse, was refurbished in the 1950s and is still used today. The chapel was extensively restored after a late 1900s fire.
) runs through the cemetery, serving as a focus of the landscape. Noted landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted
, inspired by the Mount Auburn Cemetery
in Massachusetts, contributed to the redesign of the overall cemetery plan in 1891.
The cemetery is also famous for its multiple monuments, creating a city in miniature. These include works by noted sculptors, including the marble "Veiled Lady" by Randolph Rogers
, and "Flying Geese" by Marshall Fredericks
.
in 1850, is Michigan's oldest Jewish cemetery. It was originally christened Champlain Street Cemetery of Temple Beth El because Lafayette was formerly known as Champlain Street. With an area of 0.5 acres (2,023.4 m²), this cemetery is by far the smallest of the three in the district; it is located at the southwest corner of Elmwood Cemetery, on Layfayette.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The district consists of three separate cemeteries: Mount Elliott Cemetery (Catholic, established 1841), Elmwood Cemetery (Protestant, established 1846), and the Lafayette Street Cemetery (Jewish, established 1850). The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1982.
Mount Elliott Cemetery
History
Detroit's Catholic community was originally heavily French in character. However, near the beginning of the 19th century, waves of immigration added other nationalities into the mix, notably Irish Catholics. In time, these Irish Catholics departed from the French-speaking Ste. Anne'sSte. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church
Ste. Anne de Détroit, founded July 26, 1701, is the second oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish in the United States. The current church, built in 1886, is located at 1000 Ste. Anne St. in Detroit, Michigan near the Richard-Hubbard neighborhood area, the Ambassador Bridge, and the...
and established their own parish. By 1840, they decided they wanted their own cemetery. In 1841, the parish purchased 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) of farmland from the Leib farm for $400.
The first burial in the cemetery occurred only twelve days after its establishment when Robert Elliott, an architect, judge, and founding member of the committee that created the cemetery, was laid to rest. He had been killed in a construction accident. The cemetery was christened "Mount Elliott" in his honor.
A second parcel of land was purchased for the cemetery in 1865, and a third in 1881; this brought the size of the cemetery to its current 65 acres (263,045.9 m²). A stone gateway into the cemetery was completed the same year. In 1869, remains from Detroit's Ste. Anne Cemetery were moved and re-interred at Mount Elliott. Among the remains moved was Colonel Jean François Hamtramck
Jean François Hamtramck
Jean-François Hamtramck was a French-Canadian from Quebec who joined the Continental Army and became a decorated officer in the American Revolutionary War....
.
Description
Roads winding through the cemetery carry the names of religious leaders (Pope Pius Avenue, Bishop LeFevere Avenue and Place, and Bishop Borgess Avenue) or biblical themes (Calvary Avenue, Holy Cross Place, Trinity Avenue, and Resurrection Avenue).The entrance to Mt. Elliott Cemetery is through a stone gateway designed and built by Walter Schweikart in 1882 at a cost of $6,000. Schweikart also built the entrance to the nearby Elmwood cemetery.
In 1872, Fireman's Fund bought large lots for $500 apiece in both Mt. Elliott and Elmwood Cemeteries for the purpose of burying firefighters. In 1889, the Fund erected a marker at the site for a cost of $2,965.
Gravesites
The following are some people buried in Mt. Elliott:- Jerome CavanaghJerome CavanaghJerome Patrick Cavanagh was the mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 1962 to 1970. Initially seen as another John F. Kennedy, his reputation was doomed by the 1967 riots. He was the first mayor to inhabit the Manoogian Mansion, donated to the city by the industrial baron Alex Manoogian.-Early...
(1928–1979) Mayor of Detroit - Orestes BrownsonOrestes BrownsonOrestes Augustus Brownson was a New England intellectual and activist, preacher, labor organizer, and noted Catholic convert and writer...
(1803–1876) Prolific Catholic writer
Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery, established in 1846, is 86 acres (348,030 m²) in size and contains over 51,000 graves. It is located on Lafayette Street, just east of Mt. Elliott Avenue. It is the oldest continuously operating, non-denominational cemetery in Michigan.History
Elmwood Cemetery was originally planned in 1846. The first 42 acres (169,968.1 m²) were purchased from the George Hunt farm using money from subscriptions in 1850. Over the years, additional land was purchased from the Hunt Farm and the neighboring D.C. Whitwood farm to increase the grounds to the current 86 acres (348,030 m²).A Gothic Revival chapel, designed by Albert and Octavius Jordan, was added in 1856. The limestone chapel blends into the natural ravine and landscaping. Gordon Lloyd designed the Gothic-inspired gatehouse in 1870..
The 1856 chapel, which had fallen into disuse, was refurbished in the 1950s and is still used today. The chapel was extensively restored after a late 1900s fire.
Description
Elmwood Cemetery is one of the few places in modern Detroit where the "original" rolling terrain of the area can be seen. Parent Creek (renamed "Bloody Run" after the famous Indian battleBattle of Bloody Run
The Battle of Bloody Run was fought during Pontiac's Rebellion on July 31, 1763. In an attempt to break Pontiac's siege of Fort Detroit, about 250 British troops attempted to make a surprise attack on Pontiac's encampment....
) runs through the cemetery, serving as a focus of the landscape. Noted landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
, inspired by the Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery", or the first "rural cemetery", with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain...
in Massachusetts, contributed to the redesign of the overall cemetery plan in 1891.
The cemetery is also famous for its multiple monuments, creating a city in miniature. These include works by noted sculptors, including the marble "Veiled Lady" by Randolph Rogers
Randolph Rogers
Randolph Rogers was an American sculptor. He was a prolific sculptor of subjects related to the American Civil War and other historical themes.-Biography:...
, and "Flying Geese" by Marshall Fredericks
Marshall Fredericks
Marshall Maynard Fredericks was an American sculptor.-Biography:Fredericks was born of Scandinavian heritage in Rock Island, Illinois on January 31, 1908. His family moved to Florida for a short time and then settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where he grew up...
.
Gravesites
Twenty-nine Detroit mayors, at least six governors, eleven senators, and a dozen cabinet members are buried on the grounds. Those interred at Elmwood include:- Lewis CassLewis CassLewis Cass was an American military officer and politician. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory, an American ambassador, a U.S. Senator representing Michigan, and co-founder as well as first Masonic Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan...
(1782–1866) Territorial governor, Senator, and Secretary of State - Douglass HoughtonDouglass HoughtonDouglass Houghton was an American geologist and physician, primarily known for his exploration of the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan.-Early life and education:...
(1809–1845) Detroit mayor and explorer - Bernhard Stroh (1822–1882) Founder of the Stroh Brewery
- Martha Jean SteinbergMartha Jean SteinbergMartha Jean “The Queen” Steinberg was an influential African-American radio broadcaster and later was also the pastor of her own church....
(1930–2000) Radio personality - Coleman YoungColeman YoungColeman Alexander Young served as mayor of Detroit in the U.S. state of Michigan from 1974 to 1993. Young became the first African-American mayor of Detroit in the same week that Maynard Jackson became the first African-American mayor of Atlanta.-Pre-Mayoral career:Young was born in Tuscaloosa,...
(1918–1997) Detroit’s first African-American mayor - Jacob Merritt Howard (1805–1871) US Senator and writer of the 13th amendment
- Margaret MatherMargaret MatherMargaret Mather was a Canadian actress.She was born in poverty in Tilbury, Ontario as Margaret Finlayson, daughter of John Finlayson, a farmer and mechanic, and Ann Mather...
(1859–1898) Canadian actress - Edwin C. DenbyEdwin C. DenbyEdwin Denby was an American lawyer and politician who served as Secretary of the Navy in the administrations of Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge from 1921 to 1924. He also played a notable role in the infamous Teapot Dome scandal which took place during the Harding presidency. He was the son...
(1879–1929) Secretary of the Navy - Zina PitcherZina PitcherZina Pitcher was an American physician, politician, educator, and academic administrator. He was a president of the American Medical Association, a two-time mayor of Detroit and a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan.-Early life:Zina Pitcher was born in Sandy Hill, New York...
(1797–1872) Detroit mayor
Lafayette Street Cemetery
The Lafayette Street Cemetery, established by the Temple Beth ElTemple Beth El (Detroit, Michigan)
Temple Beth El, also known as Temple Beth-El, is a Reform synagogue currently located in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. Beth El was founded in 1850 in the city of Detroit, and is the oldest Jewish congregation in Michigan....
in 1850, is Michigan's oldest Jewish cemetery. It was originally christened Champlain Street Cemetery of Temple Beth El because Lafayette was formerly known as Champlain Street. With an area of 0.5 acres (2,023.4 m²), this cemetery is by far the smallest of the three in the district; it is located at the southwest corner of Elmwood Cemetery, on Layfayette.
History
The first burial was in 1851, and in 1854 Samuel Marcus, the first rabbi of Beth El, was buried in the cemetery. Although use slowed in the late 1880s, the cemetery was in active use until the 1950s. The cemetery is now part of the Elmwood Cemetery grounds.External links
Further reading
- Cecile Wendt Jensen, Detroit's Mount Elliott Cemetery, Arcadia Publishing, 2006, ISBN 0-7385-4093-5
- Michael S. Franck, Elmwood Endures: History of a Detroit Cemetery, Wayne State University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-8143-2591-2