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Images of America: Michigan
Detroit's Mount Elliott Cemetery
Mount Olivet was the second Catholic cemetery developed by the Mount Elliott Cemetery Association. Now surrounded by city, Mount Olivet was nestled in the countryside when it opened in 1888. Directions in 1900 instructed visitors to reach the cemetery via train or electric streetcar. Round-trip was 35cents on the Grand Trunk Railroad. The varied backgrounds of those buried in the consecrated ground at Mount Olivet reflect the surge in immigration to the city that spanned the early 20th century. Belgian, German, Italian, and Polish cultural, business, and political leaders are buried here. Each group clustered near its own Catholic parish and had its own funeral directors, photographers, and florists: Our Lady of Sorrows (Belgian), St. Joseph (German), San Francesco (Italian), and St. Albertus (Polish). Funeral directors included Charles Verheyden (Belgian), Frank J. Calcaterra (Italian), and Joseph Kulwicki (Polish), who officiated at the first burial at the cemetery. Military burials range from Civil War soldiers to those who fought in Vietnam. The cemetery is graced with beautiful marble and granite statuary and unique mausoleums designed by noted architects and featuring stained-glass windows. The Mount Elliott Cemetery Association provides perpetual care for Mount Olivet Cemetery and four sister cemeteries: Mount Elliott, Resurrection, All Saints, and Guardian An
- GenresHistory
128 pages, Paperback
First published November 13, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 17, 2008
(Previous comment, skip to next paragraph.) Hi everybody, If I lie down I have a bad habit of falling asleep while reading. My Goodreads emails have been bouncing and I missed BRMB and Sam!!!! Bugger all (?) That sounds softer to me because I'm American, if it's crass, my apologies. I'll have some comments when I get further along.
1n 1706 Fr. Nicholas Belhele was killed by an Ottowa Indian, becoming the first Catholic person buried in Detroit in the churchyard of Ste. Anne de Detroit. A great fire in 1805 destroyed much of the largely wooden city, including the church, and, as the population grew, new churches and cemeteries were needed. By 1830 Irish and German immigrants had built their own churches and wished to have their own burial grounds. The parishioners of Holy Trinity, in what is now called Corktown, named after the county in Ireland from which immigrants came, purchased a farm, and, 12 days later a committee member, Robert Elliott, the architect of Holy Trinity and St. Mary's, was killed in a construction accident. He was buried in the new cemetery and it was named in his honor- Mt. Elliott Cemetery.
I had a hard time adjusting to this volume, having just completed the book on Mt. Olivet Cemetery, whether the novelty had worn off, or I was too distracted, once settled in, there were many interesting historical bits of information, albeit probably only to people living in this area.
Jos. Campeau (1769-1863) the largest landowner in Michigan, was excommunicated for disagreements with Fr. Gabriel Richard (pastor of Ste. Anne/founder of the University of Michigan) over his membership in the Masons, and also for selling whiskey to Native Americans. He married Adelaide Dequindre from another prominent land owning family. The Beaubien family gave much to the city. Monica and her brother Antoine sold their land to Bishop LeFevre for one dollar to build the parish of St. Mary's. Rose Ann had 16 children, one of whom married Joseph Moross who built a grand homestead and the road that circled the city, now known as Grand Blvd. The original GM building and Motown studios are on this road. One of Rose Ann's brood, Mamie, married Robert Oakman, the planner and builder of Ford Avenue, now called Oakman Blvd. John Moran (1856-1920)'s dad was Judge Charles Moran III (1797-1876). He inherited the Moran farm, a 500 ft. wide, 3 mile long parcel on the Detroit River. He was active in state legislature and advisor to the University of Michigan. Judge James Van Dyke (1813-1855) was once a prominent figure and former mayor of the city. Although he had a splendid mansion on Jefferson Avenue (named after Thomas Jefferson) and a prominent road named for him, his grave site has no distinguishing mark. Gabriel Chene (1770-1830) owned a ribbon farm with nearly 700 ft on the riverfront that stretched back three miles from the Detroit River. Jeremiah Dwyer (1838-1920) and his brother James created Michigan Stove Company, the largest stove manufacturing company in the world. In 1914 Joseph, Daniel and William Crowley formed Crowley-Milner Company, a dry goods, retail business which three years later became the largest store in Michigan. Thomas Nester (1833-1890) bought a one and a half million acre tract of timberland. His vast lumber business was passed on to his sons and brother Patrick. Michigan lumber built much of the north eastern United States. Mother Mary Monica Sybilska (1824-1911), headed the American branch of Felician Sisters and operated many elementary and high schools, as well as Madonna University and Guardian Angel Home orphanage. Fr. Josef Dabrowski (1842-1903) founded SS. Cyril and Methodius Roman Catholic Seminary for Polish speaking priests. He established St. Mary's College and High School which is now on a beautiful campus on Orchard Lake. Sister Loyola Richie lead the St. Vincent mission and built the first hospital in Michigan, St. Mary's. The Daughters of Charity and St. Vincent de Paul celebrated 150 years in Detroit in 1994. Racing enthusiast Louis Chevrolet encountered W.C. Durant, the "father" of General Motors, who put his creative design concepts to work, making automotive history.
It might be a long shot but the man who designed and built the gate in the cover photo was named Schweikhardt, the same surname as one of my good friends. Perhaps they are related.
Cemetery books are a good way to learn history. Since I'm not a Michigan native, I was not aware of many of these people, and curious to learn more about them.
1n 1706 Fr. Nicholas Belhele was killed by an Ottowa Indian, becoming the first Catholic person buried in Detroit in the churchyard of Ste. Anne de Detroit. A great fire in 1805 destroyed much of the largely wooden city, including the church, and, as the population grew, new churches and cemeteries were needed. By 1830 Irish and German immigrants had built their own churches and wished to have their own burial grounds. The parishioners of Holy Trinity, in what is now called Corktown, named after the county in Ireland from which immigrants came, purchased a farm, and, 12 days later a committee member, Robert Elliott, the architect of Holy Trinity and St. Mary's, was killed in a construction accident. He was buried in the new cemetery and it was named in his honor- Mt. Elliott Cemetery.
I had a hard time adjusting to this volume, having just completed the book on Mt. Olivet Cemetery, whether the novelty had worn off, or I was too distracted, once settled in, there were many interesting historical bits of information, albeit probably only to people living in this area.
Jos. Campeau (1769-1863) the largest landowner in Michigan, was excommunicated for disagreements with Fr. Gabriel Richard (pastor of Ste. Anne/founder of the University of Michigan) over his membership in the Masons, and also for selling whiskey to Native Americans. He married Adelaide Dequindre from another prominent land owning family. The Beaubien family gave much to the city. Monica and her brother Antoine sold their land to Bishop LeFevre for one dollar to build the parish of St. Mary's. Rose Ann had 16 children, one of whom married Joseph Moross who built a grand homestead and the road that circled the city, now known as Grand Blvd. The original GM building and Motown studios are on this road. One of Rose Ann's brood, Mamie, married Robert Oakman, the planner and builder of Ford Avenue, now called Oakman Blvd. John Moran (1856-1920)'s dad was Judge Charles Moran III (1797-1876). He inherited the Moran farm, a 500 ft. wide, 3 mile long parcel on the Detroit River. He was active in state legislature and advisor to the University of Michigan. Judge James Van Dyke (1813-1855) was once a prominent figure and former mayor of the city. Although he had a splendid mansion on Jefferson Avenue (named after Thomas Jefferson) and a prominent road named for him, his grave site has no distinguishing mark. Gabriel Chene (1770-1830) owned a ribbon farm with nearly 700 ft on the riverfront that stretched back three miles from the Detroit River. Jeremiah Dwyer (1838-1920) and his brother James created Michigan Stove Company, the largest stove manufacturing company in the world. In 1914 Joseph, Daniel and William Crowley formed Crowley-Milner Company, a dry goods, retail business which three years later became the largest store in Michigan. Thomas Nester (1833-1890) bought a one and a half million acre tract of timberland. His vast lumber business was passed on to his sons and brother Patrick. Michigan lumber built much of the north eastern United States. Mother Mary Monica Sybilska (1824-1911), headed the American branch of Felician Sisters and operated many elementary and high schools, as well as Madonna University and Guardian Angel Home orphanage. Fr. Josef Dabrowski (1842-1903) founded SS. Cyril and Methodius Roman Catholic Seminary for Polish speaking priests. He established St. Mary's College and High School which is now on a beautiful campus on Orchard Lake. Sister Loyola Richie lead the St. Vincent mission and built the first hospital in Michigan, St. Mary's. The Daughters of Charity and St. Vincent de Paul celebrated 150 years in Detroit in 1994. Racing enthusiast Louis Chevrolet encountered W.C. Durant, the "father" of General Motors, who put his creative design concepts to work, making automotive history.
It might be a long shot but the man who designed and built the gate in the cover photo was named Schweikhardt, the same surname as one of my good friends. Perhaps they are related.
Cemetery books are a good way to learn history. Since I'm not a Michigan native, I was not aware of many of these people, and curious to learn more about them.
August 4, 2010
I am glad there is a guide to this old and historic place. Unfortunately for my taste, this book leans more toward genealogy and listing the complete names of strangers who left little mark in history than toward images of the beauties and wonders to be found at this graveyard. That's good if your family traces itself back to Old Detroit, but not so good when it comes to giving a traveler a reason to go out of her way.
Of all the cemeteries of Detroit, I will rank this one last in terms of need to visit, based on this book. Which, I admit, is a shame. In general, I prefer to visit Catholic cemeteries over Protestant ones, based on my preference for the more ornate mortuary statuary often found there. Such things may exist in Mount Elliott (there are hints in some of the photos), but the bulk of the monuments illustrated here are less than compelling.
All that said, the author provides some fascinating information on the symbolism on military and Fireman's Fund grave monuments. I wish she'd focused more on those elements, about which she is impressively knowledgeable.
Of all the cemeteries of Detroit, I will rank this one last in terms of need to visit, based on this book. Which, I admit, is a shame. In general, I prefer to visit Catholic cemeteries over Protestant ones, based on my preference for the more ornate mortuary statuary often found there. Such things may exist in Mount Elliott (there are hints in some of the photos), but the bulk of the monuments illustrated here are less than compelling.
All that said, the author provides some fascinating information on the symbolism on military and Fireman's Fund grave monuments. I wish she'd focused more on those elements, about which she is impressively knowledgeable.
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