Encyclopedia Of Detroit
Mt. Elliott Cemetery
Mt. Elliott Cemetery was consecrated in 1841—just four years after Michigan became the 26th state in the Union. Given its unique place in Detroit’s history, Mt. Elliott serves as the final resting place for both prominent Detroiters and everyday citizens.
Mt Elliott was named for Robert T. Elliott, who came to Detroit in 1834 as one of the areas first educated architects. In 1835 he designed and completed a remodeling of the old 1st Protestant Church which would come to be renamed Trinity Church. Trinity Church was the first English-speaking Catholic Church in the western states.
In 1840 Elliott was elected an Associate Judge of the Wayne Circuit Court. He died on September 10, 1841, during an accident at the construction site of St Mary's Church, which was being built under his direction. He was the first interment in Mt Elliott Cemetery, which was named in his honor.
The Mt Elliott Cemetery Corporation was organized on February 23, 1864. It was incorporated the following year and placed under the care of a board of trustees. Originally situated on just 12 acres of land, a second parcel of land was purchased on December 18, 1865, and a third on October 16, 1881, bringing the total acres for the cemetery to 65. In the fall of 1869, 1,490 graves were removed from Detroit's Old City Cemetery on Beaubien Farms and reinterred at Mt Elliott.
The cemetery also serves as the home for the Firemen’s Fund Monument. It resides within a special section reserved for those who have served their communities as firefighters. Furthermore, Mt. Elliott hosts a special firefighters’ remembrance on Memorial Day every other year.
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