General Information
There are many choices available when considering burial options. By making arrangements now, you will provide comfort for your family and loved ones. We suggest that you decide upon your burial options and consider a method of financing. A cemetery is not only a resting place for those who have passed on, it is a place of comfort for the living who mourn in remembrance of their loved ones.
City Cemeteries of Grand Rapids is a full service cemetery provider. We offer affordable prices, choice selection of lots and burial options, convenient payment terms and a knowledgeable and professional staff, committed to providing excellent service you can trust. A free consultation enables you to learn the facts and compare cost without obligation. For more information, call City Cemeteries of Grand Rapids at 616 456-3741.
City Cemeteries Locations
The City of Grand Rapids owns and maintains six cemeteries: Fairplains, Fulton Street, Greenwood, Oakgrove, Oakhill and Woodlawn. All cemeteries have available various selection of lots and burial options. The administrative office is located at 201 Market Ave, SW. Please telephone in advance to have staff available to discuss your purchase and care of a cemetery lot. Lots may be purchased at any of the six locations, with no residency requirements.
Types of Lots and Burial Options
The types of lots vary. You may purchase either multiple cemetery lots or an isolated single lot. The lot may be near the cemetery road (at a reduced rate) or away from the road. At Woodlawn and Fairplains Cemeteries, lawn crypts and columbariums niches are also available.
There are two kinds of interments: full body burial or cremation burial. You may have the option of choosing either type of burial with or without a graveside service. At Woodlawn Cemetery, a chapel service is also an option.
Cemetery Rules and Regulations
Requirements governing the location and dimension of markers and monuments are cited in the Cemetery Rules and Regulations booklet. Private monument companies will assist you in the selection of a marker or monument. The monument company will also arrange with the cemetery staff to set the marker or monument on a foundation.
A portion of the purchase price of each grave is deposited into the Perpetual Care Fund. The care of lots includes watering, mowing, seeding, and maintaining level lots. For more information about the Perpetual Care Fund, please see the Cemeteries Rules and Regulations booklet.
Cemetery Descriptions and History
Fairplains Cemetery, 2056 Diamond N.E.
Purchased by the City of Grand Rapids on December 9, 1940, Fairplains has space available for the purchase of family estates, single lots, lawn crypts, columbarium niches, and a special area reserved for infant burial.
Fulton Street Cemetery, 801 Fulton N.E.
The oldest public cemetery in Grand Rapids, Fulton Street Cemetery has many choice family estates or single lots available. The first six acres of land was purchased on July 9, 1838 by the Trustees of the Village of Grand Rapids for $300. Today, the cemetery is comprised of 12.48 acres of land. The oldest gravestone in Grand Rapids is located in this cemetery, marking the grave of Andrew Haldane. The headstone reads, "In memory of Andrew Haldane who dies September 6, 1838 in the twenty-fifth year of his age."
Fulton Street Cemetery is also the resting place of John Ball. A large granite boulder dug from the hills of of the park that bears his name has marked his grave since 1884. Many Civil War soldiers are buried at the Fulton Street Cemetery and their memory stones give details of their service as well as names and dates.
Greenwood Cemetery, 1401 Leonard N.W.
The City of Grand Rapids purchased Greenwood on February 16, 1859. Located in the northwest area of the City, Greenwood consisted of 20 acres of land and was purchased for $1000. Today, the cemetery has 76.3 acres of land and is known for its rolling hills, especially beautiful in the fall. Captain Charles E. Belknap, a City father, is buried here along with financier and politician, Frank D. McKay, who is buried in one of the two private mausoleums. Greenwood has many beautiful family estates and single lots available, and provides a special area for infant burial.
Oakgrove Cemetery, 1401 28th Street S.E.
Located near the MacKay/Jaycee Family Park and Woodlawn Cemetery, Oakgrove is the smallest of the six cemeteries. There are family estates and single lots available in the six acres of land which was donated to the City of Grand Rapids in 1975.
Oakhill Cemetery, 647 Hall Street S.E.
Located southeast of downtown Grand Rapids, Oakhill was dedicated on October 25, 1859. It was originally two separate cemeteries; Oakhill, north of Hall Street, and Valley City Cemetery south of Hall Street. The cemetery, now one, includes a total of 66.75 acres of land and has many choice locations available for family estates or single lots.
Oakhill contains a large number of impressive private mausoleums. One very striking mausoleum belongs to A. B. Watson, a major in the Civil War, who rests in a replica of an Egyptian temple. Another interesting mausoleum was built for a pioneer lumberman, Marcus Brown. The Brown Pyramid was a granite structure built in the likeness of an ancient tomb of Egyptian kings.
Woodlawn Cemetery, 2530 Kalamazoo S.E.
Known as perhaps the most beautiful cemetery in West Michigan, Woodlawn has 61 acres of land located in the southeast area of the City next to the Indian Trails Golf Course. The first portion of this cemetery was purchased in 1921 by the City of Grand Rapids. Woodlawn has a large number of family estates, single lots, lawn crypts, , columbariums niches available, and provides a special area for infant burial.
Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids, Michigan
The following brochures are free and available upon request by calling 616-456-3741: