Community Corner

Cemetery Walking Tour a Trek Through Royal Oak History

The Royal Oak and St. Mary cemeteries, together designated as a Michigan Historic Site, are located in the heart of the city.

There seems to be no shortage of makeshift tombstones adorning front lawns in preparation for Halloween, but right smack in the center of town, visitors can see the real thing in an area designated as a Michigan Historic Site.

The Royal Oak and St. Mary cemeteries form a triangular parcel of land bound by Rochester Road, Main Street and 12 Mile Road. Center Road divides the two. Royal Oak Cemetery, north of Center Road, is maintained by the city of Royal Oak; St. Mary Cemetery, which was originally the Catholic section of Royal Oak Cemetery, is now conserved by .

According to A Walking Tour of the Royal Oak And St. Mary Cemeteries, Daniel Burrows donated the land for the cemeteries in 1826. The first burial was that of the infant daughter of David Chase, who later served as township supervisor and as a delegate for Michigan statehood.

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The two cemeteries were designated a Michigan Historical Site in 1996.

“There are not many cities that maintain active cemeteries these days,” said Greg Rassel, Royal Oak's director of recreation and public service. The city maintains the grass and the trees in the cemetery.

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“We still have one or two burials there a year,” he said. While the cemetery is at capacity, there are still people who show up with deeds passed down through generations, Rassel said.

For $5, visitors can pick up the walking tour guide of Royal Oak and St. Mary cemeteries at nearby . Royal Oak residents will recognize many historical names of those who made the six-acre triangle their final resting place, including:

  • members of the Starr family (the former Starr Elementary was named after Edwin A. Starr, and the at 3123 N. Main is owned by the city)
  • George Erb (founder of Erb Lumber)
  • Several members of the Parker family (the former Parker Elementary was built across the street from the family homestead, which is now Northwood Shopping Center)
  • Frank Knowles (his estate was sold to the Royal Oak school district to build a high school, now )
  • William Sullivan (founder of )

A statue of St. Mary, which adorned St. Mary High School when it was erected in 1925, was moved to St. Mary Cemetery in 1992 after the school closed.

There are also more than 100 war veterans buried in the cemeteries, including those from the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Civil War.

A complete list of names of those buried may be found in a guide prepared by the Oakland County Genealogical Society at the at 1600 N. Campbell. (Andrew C. Campbell, the first village president, is also buried at Royal Oak Cemetery.)

The guide is a "labor of love," according to Maria Danna, supervisor at Oakland County Research Library in Pontiac. "People have an interest in documenting cemeteries as a way to trace their family history," she said.


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