Community Events

Thousands of service members are buried at Elmwood going all the way back to the Revolutionary War. Elmwood is also the site of a Firemen's Fund Memorial and burial lot, established in 1872, where the Detroit Firemen's Fund hosts a biannual Memorial Day remembrance event.

On this tour, we'll visit the graves of service members, firefighters and police officers who died in the line of duty and share stories about the history of Detroit's police and fire departments and the origin and evolution of Memorial Day. Co-leading this tour is Bill McGraw, a journalist in Detroit for more than 50 years, mainly at the Free Press. He is the creator of The Detroit Almanac and "The Quotations of Mayor Coleman A. Young" and covered the fire department when he worked at the Freep.   

This free tour will last about 2 hours, mostly on paved roads, but there will be some gentle hills and ventures into the grass. Sunday, May 25 at 10 a.m. Learn more and register here.

The Detroit Firemen's Fund hosts its annual Memorial Day Ceremony at Elmwood this year. The procession, led by a historic 1937 Seagrave Safety Sedan, begins at the Engine 9, located at 3787 E. Lafayette St., at 8:30 a.m., and proceeds to the Firemen's Fund Memorial on Section 1. 

We also welcome Memorial Day visitors to stop outside the office and take a carnation or a flag for your loved one's grave. Our office is closed in observance of the holiday, but our gates will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  

Elmwood is a proud partner of the fourth annual Camp Ward Juneteenth Celebration, held at the historic site where Michigan's 102nd U.S. Colored Troops trained during the Civil War. This free, family-friendly event features a living history museum with reenactors, storytellers, live music, dance, kids' crafts, and more. Hosted by the Camp Ward Juneteenth Celebration Committee, the event honors the legacy of Black soldiers and Detroit's role in the fight for freedom. 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 2715 Macomb St., Detroit, MI 48207. More information and ways to get involved here. 

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, June 8 at 10 a.m.

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 Thursday, June 26 at 11 a.m. 

The first person to drive a motor car on the streets of Detroit? Buried at Elmwood. The first person to die in a car crash in Detroit? Also buried at Elmwood. On this tour we'll meet inventors, engineers, businessmen, bridge builders, labor leaders and the motorists, pilots and train drivers who put Detroit and Michigan on the move.

This free two-hour walking tour is on June 29 at 10 a.m. Sign up here! Photo of Charles Brady King (right) and his nervous-seeming passenger from the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library.

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 16 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.