Fulton St. Cemetery -
On
July 9, 1838 the Trustees of the Village of Grand Rapids purchased six acres of
land from James Ballard for the price of $300. This land became the Fulton
Street Cemetery and one-third of the cemetery was set aside for Roman Catholics.
The Village of Grand Rapids agreed to pay for the cost of keeping the cemetery
in good order. Twenty years later, the cemetery needed more land. More land
around the cemetery was bought in 1862, 1863, and 1864. The
village also formed the Fulton Street Cemetery Association of the City of Grand
Rapids and officers were elected. With the purchase of the new land, the
cemetery went from six acres to twelve acres. Many of the early settlers in the
village are buried in this cemetery. The Cemetery Division of the City of Grand
Rapids has prepared a map and walking tour of the cemetery for visitors. They
have written paragraphs about each person buried at the different stops along
the tour. Have you ever heard of the John Ball
zoo? John Ball, the man who donated the land for the zoo, is buried here.
Thomas
Gilbert, the gentleman who convinced the people of Grand Rapids to build the
Civil War Monument, is also buried at Fulton Street Cemetery. Print off the
map
and information and take a tour of Fulton Street Cemetery with your parents or
teacher to learn more about the early settlers of the City of Grand Rapids.
Click the stars on the map to obtain
information about the person who is buried at that gravesite.