824 South Dudley St. Memphis, 38104
(901) 774-3212
South Dudley St. is .4 miles south of Crump Blvd.
Open 8am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday and Saturday 10a-2pm in the summer. All other times it is 8am to 4:30pm.
www.elmwoodcemetery.org to learn more about self-guided tours, the grounds and events.
When you think of beautiful, serene and historic cemeteries, it’s hard to do any better than this Memphis jewel! Elmwood Cemetery is many things: The oldest active cemetery in Memphis, Level II Arboretum, Bird Sanctuary, cultural destination and a memorial park. Established in 1852, the 80-acre cemetery was designed to be a garden or rural cemetery (one of the first in the South), with stunning monuments nestled between 1,500 blooming, ornamental and seasonal trees, and park-like views that celebrate life as well as honor those who have passed. In addition to the Carlisle S. Page Arboretum, Elmwood contains some of the last stands of old-growth forests in the Memphis area, many of which are hundreds of years old. (If you love an old-growth forest, be sure to also seek out Overton Park in Memphis.) You’ll also find a Victorian Cottage Garden with flowers, and unique Victorian cradles that resemble tiny bathtubs used as specialty gardens!
Pictures thanks to Commons Wikimedia, Thomas R. Machnitzki and Pinterest.
The list of “residents” of Elmwood is long and impressive, and sometimes quite shocking and controversial. It includes governors, mayors, Civil Rights leaders, millionaires, suffragists, outlaws, musicians, fourteen Confederate Generals and around 1,000 Confederate soldiers and veterans, the victims of the dreadful Yellow Fever epidemic of 1878, and military personnel from every US military war. Rightfully, this cemetery was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee for its long list of diverse, interesting and influential people who left a clear mark on Memphis and US history such as these:
Estes Wilson Mann, Sr., American architect based in Memphis with a number of designs listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Finis L. Bates, lawyer and author, who wrote The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth, which discounted the theory that Booth was killed by Union Army Soldiers and instead lived for years under several assumed names.
Robert Reed Church Sr., entrepreneur, businessman and landowner, and the first African-American millionaire in the South.
Maxine Smith, a Civil Rights activist, academic and school board official who advanced school desegregation.
George Washington Gordon, Confederate Army general, member of the US House of Representatives, and the Ku Klux Klan’s first Grand Dragon in the Realm of Tennessee.
Victims of the Sultana, a commercial steamboat which exploded and sank on the Mississippi River on April 27, 1865. This was the worst maritime disaster in US history, claiming 1,167 lives.
Benjamin Lawson Hooks, Baptist minister, attorney and Executive Director of the NAACP from 1977 to 1992.
Wayne Lamar Jackson, American soul and R&B musician, best known for playing in the Mar-Keys, the house band at Stax Records, and the Memphis Horns.
Shelby Foote, renowned novelist and author of the comprehensive three-volume The Civil War: A Narrative. He is buried next to the family plot for Nathan Bedford Forrest (although he himself has been moved to Columbia).
Photos by Thomas R. Machnitzki and Thomas Hawk, Commons Wikimedia.
In addition to the lovely grounds, there are some architectural details to look for in Elmwood including the Phillips Cottage, acting as the office and Visitor Center, is the only known example of Victorian Carpenter Gothic architecture in Memphis and was built in 1866; the Norfleet Bell at the north entrance, which has tolled at every funeral since 1870’s; the Morgan Bridge connecting East Dudley Street to the cemetery grounds; and the Stokes Columbarium and Lord’s Chapel, both of which are recent additions but quite lovely to see.
One of the interesting things about Elmwood is a yearly contest for historical fiction based on the people who are buried there! Called the Snowden Spirit Series Writing Contest, the public is offered the opportunity to write a story based on any individual, couple or group interred at Elmwood for a cash prize and publishing in the Elmwood Cemetery’s newsletter and a public reading. There is also an annual event, usually in October, called Soul of The City, where actors dress in costume as famous people who are buried in the cemetery, along with music and food trucks. Sounds like fun!
All in all, Elmwood is a beautiful and fascinating cemetery, and one very worth exploring and enjoying! Below are some links to further information to help you plan your tour.
Click here to learn more about self-guided, docent-led, private or club tours and youth education.
You can download an audio tour of the cemetery, purchase a CD and tour maps of the cemetery and arboretum here. Tours (elmwoodcemetery.org)
For a tour of the Level II Arboretum, you may do a self-guided or docent-led tour. Contact Kelly Sowell at historian@elmwoodcememtery.org.
The cemetery website also contains a bookstore featuring books on the cemetery and also Memphis history.
PBS did a feature on Elmwood Cemetery and lost Memphis history for its “The Best Times” series called “The History You Do Not Know & Elmwood Cemetery" that is worth exploring!
If you enjoy visiting historic cemeteries, I've written a post here about other great ones to visit in Tennessee!
I would like to add that I normally take all of my own pictures but was unable to do so for this blog. I can't wait to do that! But until then, sincere thanks to the photographers whose images I found on Commons Wikimedia: Thomas R. Machnitzki, Snickersnack30, WillyBearden, Thomas Hawk, Kenneth Zirkel, and Carl Wycoff!
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