Please note: The cemetery office is located at 1415 N HARRISON, BUILDING #6, at the Water Reclamation/Wastewater Treatment facility.
Directions: Turn north off Paterson, spot the brown brick building at the end (that's where you're headed), then drive down to the automatic gate. Press the intercom button for entry. Building #6 will be in front of you with the flagpole by the main entrance, with visitor parking directly to the right. If you pass the first brick building you have gone too far.
The City oversees Mountain Home Cemetery located on West Main Street and Riverside Cemetery located at the corner of Gull Road and Riverview Drive. It is our hope that visitors enjoy the peace and beauty of our landscape, learn of those who have gone before us, or take a moment for remembrance and reflection. Visitors can also honor those since passed who have served in the armed forces, usually designated by a small marker and new flag each spring.
The Perpetual Care Investment Committee manages the assets which provide funding for the care of The City of Kalamazoo's two cemeteries. This shares membership with the Retirement Investment Committee and both meet once per quarter.
Burial information can be found in the Mountain Home and Riverside cemetery databases. Additional genealogical information is available at kalamazoogenealogy.org, while information on the Veterans' Memorial can be found at kalamazooveterans.com. If you are looking for an individual or family, please note the Section number/letter and Lot number you are trying to find, then use the respective Section Map below to help find the location before arriving at the cemetery. While the Section numbers are posted on the grounds and labeled on the Cemetery Map, the lot numbers are not as visible as they once were.
Mountain Home Cemetery
Mountain Home Cemetery is located at 1402 West Main Street, nestled in-between West Main and Forbes Streets and directly across the street from Henderson Castle. Mountain Home Cemetery has beauty and character in abundance- from the gently rolling landscape to the variety of stones and monuments. If you compare the names of Kalamazoo City streets to the names you see at Mountain Home, you'll find the cemetery not only rich in character, but also very rich in Kalamazoo history. Mountain Home was founded in 1849 and the City of Kalamazoo assumed control in 1940.
Riverside Cemetery
The larger of the two City cemeteries, Riverside Cemetery is located at 1015 Gull Rd, with entrances along Gull Road and Riverview Drive. Riverside Cemetery has always been municipally owned since it was founded around 1862. There are a variety of settings within the cemetery from well-shaded to open, and rolling to flat, where visitors may also encounter wildlife. In the backmost section you can see into Spring Valley Park, including a view of Spring Valley Lake. When the sun is in the western sky it radiantly lights up the west-most landscape. There is a view to enjoy at almost every angle.
We welcome you to visit our cemetery to reflect, to contemplate, to learn, and to enjoy the peace and beauty Riverside Cemetery has to offer. So you don't get lost while doing so, please print off the Riverside Cemetery Map found in the link below or take a map from the mailbox behind the old office building up front.
Local history at Kalamazoo's cemeteries
Both of our city cemeteries date back into the mid-1800's and represent quite a range of local history. Many of those that were buried in Kalamazoo's first cemetery, Pioneer Cemetery (now known as South Westnedge Park), were later transferred to either Mountain Home or Riverside. A list of notable Kalamazooans that are buried in our cemeteries is below, with biographical information from the Kalamazoo Public Library, KVCC, or other resources if available. Some were heroes, some broke barriers of race and gender, others influenced culture, and many made an economic impact. Every life has a story, and we hope those below will help shed light on the history of our city.
- Gilmore brothers (James & John), Mountain Home, Section 6, Lot 33.
- Charles B. Hays, Mountain Home, Section 7, Lot 5.
- Frank Henderson and Henderson Castle, Mountain Home, Section F, Lot 219.
- Blanche Hull: Civic and Cultural Leader, Mountain Home, Section 1, Lot 10.
- John Milham, Mountain Home, Section J, Lot 453.
- Epaphroditus Ransom, Mountain Home, Section E, Lot 166.
- Lucinda Hinsdale Stone, Mountain Home, Section E, Lot 176.
- U.S. Senator Francis Stockbridge, Mountain Home, Section 1, Lot 8.
- Charles E. Stuart, U.S. Representative and U. S. Senator, Mountain Home, Section B, Lot 48
- Albert M. Todd, Mountain Home, Section 5, Lot 1.
- William Upjohn, Mountain Home, Section 6, Lot 57.
- Edwin and Cynthia Van Deusen, Mountain Home, Section 4, Lot 13.
- Sylvester Axtell (see page A10): Mountain Home, Section H, Lot 256.
- Justus Burdick (see page A10): Mountain Home, Section G, Lot 240.
- George and Emma Humphrey (see page A12): Mountain Home, Section 7, Lot 11.
- Mary E. Pengelly (see page A14): Mountain Home, Section K, Lot 494.
- Jacob Kindleberger, Riverside, Section BB, Lot 54.
- Phillips Brothers: Musicians of Distinction, Gilmore Phillips: Riverside, Section FF, Lot 66; Joseph Phillips: Riverside, Section X, Lot 63; Joshua Phillips: Riverside, Section II, Lot 6.
- Joseph B. Westnedge, Riverside, Section E, Lot 55.
- Albert White: African American Builder Broke Racial Barriers, Riverside, Section S, Lot 103.