When I am out and about roaming around Michigan and I see a large old cemetery sometimes I take a trip through it because they usually have a large veterans section. I like to stop and get pics to post on Memorial Day to honor the fallen heroes. In Elmwood Cemetery I came across the Fireman’s Memorial.
In 1855 the Detroit City Council created 8 new fire companies to protect the citizens and property in the city. To help members of the new department the Detroit Firemen’s Fund was organized March 16, 1866. The Fund assisted the widows and orphans, disabled firefighters and to purchase and maintain burial plots. Dues were $4 per year. Members off duty
by reason of sickness or injury received $5 to $10 each week. The association also defrayed the funeral expenses of deceased firemen, not to exceed $100. Shortly after incorporation, the Fund purchased its first burial plots in Elmwood Cemetery. Just 4 months after the Fund was organized, Pipeman John Miller E-3 was killed at a fire, leaving behind a wife and child. The Fund purchased large sections of burial plots in both Mt. Elliott (Catholic) and Elmwood (non-sectarian) Cemeteries in Detroit. The first Firemen’s Monument was erected in Elmwood Cemetery and dedicated July 4, 1876.
It takes a special kind of person to run into a burning building. Thank you to all the firefighters out there who answer the call for help.
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