A community effort is restoring Northville’s two historic cemeteries – and you can help preserve these places of memory for generations to come.

Every town tells its story through the people who built it, served it and loved it. In Northville, that story is written in stone at Oakwood Cemetery (established in 1835) and Rural Hill Cemetery (established in the late 1880s) – both within the city of Northville and treasured by families across the city and township. These are not just burial grounds – they are open-air archives of our shared history.

Our mandate is simple and sacred: to restore and preserve our cemeteries as dignified spaces that honor ancestors, safeguard history and connect the community to its heritage through sustainable care and thoughtful improvement. Volunteers and preservation specialists work side by side to meet that goal. All work is guided by preservation best practices and coordinated with city staff and the Historic District Commission (for Oakwood) to ensure appropriate methods and materials.

Northville Mayor Brian Turnbull formed the Northville Cemetery Renewal Task Force to address decades of needed care on August 26, 2024. With help from more than 40 neighbors – the “Tombstone Gang and Grounds Gangs” – we’ve begun painstaking work: cleaning and repairing broken stones and clearing invasive growth.

We engaged specialists to repair damaged headstones, beginning a multi-year plan guided by best practices in preservation. So far, 445 stones have been cleaned or repaired – 366 at Oakwood and 79 at Rural Hill – bringing names and dates back into view and brightening the look.

But why now?

Time and weather have taken a toll: headstones lean or sink, tree roots lift markers and paths and signage is minimal. Rural Hill alone is the resting place of more than 750 veterans – from the Civil War forward – whose service deserves dignified, safe and readable memorials. At Oakwood, some of Northville’s earliest families lie beneath markers that are fragile yet recoverable with care.

Thanks to early donations, we jump-started repairs in September 2024. But this is a marathon, not a sprint, and sustained community support will determine how much we can accomplish each season. Your gift – of any size – goes directly to preservation: professional stone repair and resetting, safer paths and improved signage and ongoing care to keep these spaces safe and welcoming. The City takes care of lawn care, tree care, paving and fencing.

Headstone cleaning and repair is not covered in the city budget. That is up to families of the deceased or volunteers like our task force.

If you live in the city or the township, chances are your story touches Oakwood or Rural Hill. Perhaps a grandparent rests there, or you’ve paused among the flags on Memorial Day. Preserving these places is a tangible way to honor loved ones and teach our children what civic stewardship looks like.

Historic cemeteries remind us that a community is measured not only by what it builds but by what it preserves. Together, we can ensure these “hallowed grounds” remain places of quiet beauty, accurate history and enduring gratitude.



How You Can Help Today

• Mail checks payable to Northville Historical Society (memo: Cemetery Renewal) to Northville Historical Society 215 Griswold St., Northville, MI 46167
• Online: www.millracenorthville.or/donate (select cemetery renewal)
• Questions - dmarold@gmail.com or (248) 349-0094