The historic Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee was established 1852 on August the 28th. Fifty men from Memphis contributed 500 dollars each to purchase land for the cemetery, which was originally 40 acres, expanding to 80 after the Civil War. These men chose the name Elmwood by drawing it out of a hat with several other proposed names, although they then had to plant elms since there were none there originally. These men’s vision for Elmwood was that it was to be a place for the living as well as the dead, a place where people could come and enjoy the beautiful trees and gardens and have family outings and picnics. Elmwood’s first burial occurred in 1853, and Elmwood now has 75,000 residents, with room for 15,000 more. Many familiar names can be found on the headstones at Elmwood, such as Overton, Goodlett, Winchester, Crump, McLemore, Snowden, and Mendenhall, as well as many more. There are veterans from every American war buried there including the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the War of 1812. Elmwood is home to every kind of person, from murderers to blues singers, mayors to generals, and suffragists to outlaws, and they all have a story to tell.
Works Cited
"Elmwood Cemetery (Memphis, Tennessee)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmwood_Cemetery_(Memphis,_Tennessee)>.
"Historic Memphis Elmwood Cemetery - the Sculpture and Architecture." Historic Memphis Elmwood Cemetery - the Sculpture and Architecture. Historic Memphis, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://historic-memphis.com/memphis-historic/elmwood/elmwood.html>.
"Homepage." Elmwood Cemetery. Elmwood Cemetery, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://www.elmwoodcemetery.org/>. 