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Though cemeteries exist to symbolically preserve our memories of the deceased, it could be argued that they take up too much space, and that the land could be better used for other purposes (apartment buildings, parking garages, shopping plazas, and so on). After all, the permanent occupants of a cemetery aren't getting any use out of the land. Isn't there a way to remember them without wasting so much real estate? Such an argument could be made, but any politician who made such a proposal would face a firestorm of public outrage. Cemeteries are about as untouchable as real estate can get.

This is a good thing, though, and not just for sentimental reasons. In a modern city, cemeteries are some of the few areas where people can enjoy the land the way it was before roads and buildings and concrete took over. Elmwood Cemetery, just east of downtown Detroit, is a case in point. The historical marker just inside the entrance gate gives a brief history of Elmwood Cemetery:

In 1846 when this was a farm on the outskirts of Detroit, a group of gentlemen formed a corporation and purchased the land for use as a public cemetery. The trustees patterned the grounds after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and utilized the ideas of the famous nineteenth century landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (see Belle Isle story).

Parent's Creek, renamed Bloody Run after the battle fought between Pontiac and the British in 1763, serves as the focus in the informal country garden landscape. Albert and Octavius Jordon designed the handsome Gothic Revival Chapel, which opened for services in 1856. The chapel's limestone walls blend into the natural ravine and tree-shaded paths. Famous people buried here include General Russell Alger, geologist Douglass Houghton, and Territorial Governor Lewis Cass.

This spring I moved into an apartment across from Eastern Market, a little over a mile away from Elmwood Cemetery. I discovered that the cemetery is is a great place for a relaxing walk - and now that I've started running, I often use Elmwood as part of my route (it's about one and a half miles for a complete circuit, with rolling hills to make things interesting in an otherwise flat Detroit).

Although a sign by the entrance classifies these activities under the "at your own risk" heading, at no point has a walk or run through the cemetery seemed risky; maybe I'm just not superstitious enough to respond to veiled threats from the spirit world. In fact the grounds are clean and well-maintained. This certainly reflects the efforts of Elmwood's maintenance workers, but it also demonstrates that most people treat cemeteries with respect. Cemeteries are created to honor the memories of the deceased, but the resulting havens of natural beauty can and should be enjoyed by the living. - Scott Ligon

The Elmwood Cemetery is located on Elmwood between Vernor and Lafayette and is open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to Scott, many other Detroiters have been known to run among the dead at the Elmwood. Visit oldbones.net to see 2 galleries of Elmwood Cemetery and the adjacent Catholic burial ground, Mt. Elliott, or click here for a Detroit News article on Elmwood's history.

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