Detroit Memorial Park Cemetery Commemorates 100-Year History in June 2025
Detroit Memorial Park Cemetery, the first Black-owned cemetery in Michigan, is marking its 100-year anniversary in Detroit in 2025. The cemetery exists as a testament to the lives and legacies of notable Black personalities from Detroit, including community leaders, musicians, and politicians. Notable names buried in the cemetery include Richard H. Austin, John Cohyers Jr., and Florence Ballard, all individuals who reflect the contributions of Detroit’s Black community to various industries.
The cemetery began with an initial purchase of 65 acres of farmland in Warren Township, near Ryan and 13 Mile Road.
“During the 1920s and before, if you were Black and lived in Detroit, generally you couldn’t find a place to be buried. And if you did, it was very difficult,” explained Wilbur Hughes III, president and CEO of the Detroit Memorial Park Association, Inc., in an interview with the Detroit Free Press. The association operates three cemeteries, including Detroit Memorial Park.
According to Hughes, Detroit Memorial Park launched in June 1925 when 20 subscribers — leaders from Detroit’s Black community — each purchased five company shares. From that group, 13 individuals later became Detroit Memorial Park’s first board of directors.
What’s remarkable about Detroit Memorial Park is the equality demonstrated among those buried together in the sacred space. Hardworking, everyday people whose labors contributed to nearly every industry in Detroit and Michigan rest eternally among history makers and notable Detroiters whose service has shaped Michigan society.
For example, 59-year-old Keith Graham, a longtime grounds superintendent, had been working at the memorial gardens for 15 years before he discovered the story of Elijah McCoy, who is buried there. McCoy was a well-recognized inventor of lubricating devices for locomotives who inspired the phrase “the real McCoy.”
Detroit Memorial Park’s Controller Chimere Shamley said that she is honored to serve the place that shares a personal connection with her family’s story. Shamley will detail that story during the memorial park’s Centennial Gala on June 28, 2025.
