Friends of Kalamazoo Historic Cemeteries

09/29/2026

We hope you'll join us next year! Thank you all for your continued support… We can't do the work we do without you.

The event will feature members of a local group playing six notable Kalamazooans buried at Mountain Home Cemetery.

09/17/2026

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We regret to inform you that the Living History Tour scheduled for this Saturday has been canceled due to the severe weather forecast. Because of our concern for the safety and comfort of our guests, our board of directors has decided to postpone and reschedule the tour until a date to be determined in 2027.

Your ticket will automatically roll over and remain valid for next year’s event. If you cannot attend next year, you may transfer your ticket to a friend or family member by emailing us at [email protected], up to one week before the event.

We know many of you were looking forward to this special opportunity to honor and learn about the stories of our founding families and our community’s past, and we share in your disappointment. We are committed to rescheduling this event so we can still come together to celebrate the rich history of Kalamazoo’s historic cemeteries. We will share the new date in 2027 and details as soon as they are confirmed.

Thank you for your understanding, patience, and continued support of our mission to preserve and share local history. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
With appreciation,

Gary Swain
President, Friends of Kalamazoo Historic Cemeteries

09/16/2026

“He lived through the entire revolution and saw the birth of our country, moved to Kalamazoo, made it his home."
Friends of Kalamazoo Historic Cemeteries

The event will feature members of a local group playing six notable Kalamazooans buried at Mountain Home Cemetery.

09/02/2026

Hello Friends!

Join the Friends of Kalamazoo Historic Cemeteries for our second annual Living History Tour of Mountain Home Cemetery on Saturday, September 19, 2026, located at 1402 W. Main Street, Kalamazoo!

As previously announced, this year’s tour will feature six new historic residents of Mountain Home Cemetery. We are also pleased to announce that the 1878 Gothic style Receiving Vault will be open for tour participants for the first time. Additionally, a host will be on site to explain the building’s history and to answer your questions.

Also new this year, a golf cart will be available to chauffer those who might need a little assistance in ascending the hill to our next stop on the tour.

Tours begin at 1:00 pm and will continue each half hour through 4:00 pm and will last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

This event is open to the public. Tickets are $10 (children under 10 are free) and tour times may be selected and purchased in advance through the FKHC website: www.friendsofkalamazoohistoriccemeteries.com/events/livinghistory-tours-3.

Be sure to visit the site soon as the most popular tour times sell out quickly.

Rain or shine bring your walking shoes and travel back in time with us!

Hope to see you there!

08/13/2026

Hello Friends!

Join the Friends of Kalamazoo Historic Cemeteries for our second annual Living History Tour of Mountain Home Cemetery on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Mountain Home Cemetery located at 1402 W. Main Street, Kalamazoo!

This year’s tour will feature six new historic residents with amazing and surprising stories to tell. Meet a Revolutionary War soldier who saw combat at the Battle of Johnstown. You will also meet a Kalamazoo suffragette who was the first woman to cast a vote in Kalamazoo.

Tours begin at 1:00 pm and will continue each half hour through 4:00 pm and will last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

This event is open to the public. Tickets are $10 (children under 10 are free) and tour times may be selected and purchased in advance through the FKHC website: www.friendsofkalamazoohistoriccemeteries.com/events/livinghistory-tours-3.

Be sure to visit the site soon as the most popular tour times sell out quickly.

Rain or shine, fun for the entire family-bring your walking shoes and travel back in time with us!

Hope to see you there!

08/03/2026

Our July Eagle Scout event preserving veteran gravestones in Riverside Cemetery was fantastic! We used D-2 exclusively, for the first time, and were amazed that we were able to clean 223 gravestones, more than double than in prior Eagle Scout preservation events. Thank you Eagle Scouts and the 30 additional volunteers that joined us.

We couldn't be more encouraged at how the switch to D-2, as our exclusive cleaning agent, has both improved and increased our gravestone cleaning/preservation efficiency, and we can't do what we do without the support and grant from the O'Connor Fund. The FKHC is very optimistic about our growing preservation impact in Riverside and Mountain Home Cemeteries.

Thank you!

07/20/2026

Thank you all!! Fabulous turn out for the July 11th Second Saturday Summer Clean-up event.

Special thanks to these dedicated preservation volunteers as they prepared to get started cleaning and preserving gravestones of Kalamazoo pioneers buried in Mountain Home Cemetery and were hard at work cleaning some of the 85 gravestones preserved at this event.

Mark your calendars... The next Second Saturday Summer Clean-up event is scheduled for August 8th. Hope to see you then!

06/19/2026

Join us in sharing the Spirit of America! Come to a park near you on July 8 at 6 pm in Michigan.

06/18/2026

We have some exciting news...
We have been awarded a mini-grant from the City of Kalamazoo for historic preservation! We are thrilled to use these funds to restore and preserve our beautiful historic headstones and educate the public about the value of this work. Thank you City of Kalamazoo!

Enjoy the article:

The Friends of Kalamazoo Historic Cemeteries has become a recipient of the Kalamazoo Historic Preservation Commission’s O’Connor Fund mini-grant program, receiving $2,500 to support gra…

06/18/2026

Great group of folks at last week’s “Second Saturday” preservation event at Riverside Cemetery. This team of committed preservationists cleaned and extended the life of approximately one quarter of the stones in sectional L, one of the oldest sections in Riverside Cemetery. Thank you!!