Welcome to the Franklin Cemetery! It is

located in the center of Franklin Village,

Michigan on the highest part of the Village.

We were established in 1827, just three

years after the founding of the Village, by

the Village’s founding families. As the third

oldest active cemetery in the State of

Michigan, we are designated as an

”Historic Country Cemetery” by the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Despite a general assumption that the

Cemetery is owned by the Village, it is, in

 fact, a privately-owned, tax-exempt

nonprofit organization established in 1907.

We are made up of the families who own

burial rights in the Cemetery and are

governed by a Board of Directors,

comprised of members and elected by the

 general membership. When a family buys

burial rights through the purchase of a

grave site, they become part of the

Cemetery community.

 

The Cemetery operates under the regulatory

 authority of the State of Michigan’s Bureau

 of Cemetery Regulations. Abiding by these

 regulations, the Cemetery has a separate,

501 (c)(3). non-profit corporation that

maintains a professionally-managed Trust

which provides the resources for perpetual

care and upkeep of the cemetery grounds.

 

The Cemetery has approximately 700

 remaining grave sites available for

purchase. Pricing can vary:

 

***  $3,000 or $4,000 per grave

 (depending on what part of the

 Cemetery the grave may be

 located).

 

You can acquire more detailed information

on other pages on this website or by

contacting our Cemetery Administrator,

Steve Bancroft at 248-200-9493 or at franklincemetery@outlook.com.

We receive questions daily from

 families making, or contemplating

 to make burial arrangements for

 their loved ones. Following

are the most common we have

 answered. Please do not hesitate

 to call us if you need additional

 information.

 

***  WHERE IS THE

CEMETERY LOCATED?

 

      Located at Franklin Road

and Scenic Drive, at the top of

the hill, immediately south of

the Village green and civic

 buildings, at the yellow

flashing light.

 

***  HOW MANY REMAINING

 GRAVES ARE AVAILABLE?

 

  The Cemetery has

approximately 700 graves

 remaining

 

***  WHAT IS GENERAL PRICING?

 

    - $3,000 or $4,000 per grave

 (depending on what part of the

 cemetery the grave may be

 located);

 

    - $1,300 for a casket burial;

 

- $700 for a cremation burial;

In addition, there is an extra

charge of $100 for Saturday

burials. No Sunday burials are

allowed.

 

      FOR THE GARDEN

 

   - There are 11 (eleven) niches in the

retaining walls of the Garden for ashes

placement with a bronze sealing plague for

 $5,000. All other burials in the Garden will

be scattered amongst the ground-cover

and mixed into the soil.

 

    - Scattered burials in the Garden are

$1750 per person for space in the Garden

and $100 at the time of scattering;

 

    - Designation of persons buried in the

Garden will be on a 2”x7” cast bronze

plaque with the person’s name and dates,

 attached permanently to the retaining

walls of the Garden at $150.

 

***  DO YOU RECOMMEND ANY

FUNERAL PLANNING TIPS?

 

 - Making pre-death

arrangements for a cemetery

lot or cremations removes

 emotional decision-making

at the time of death.

 

a. Burial site

 b. Form of burial (casket or

 cremation, or other)

c. Funeral arrangements

d. Legal papers for disposition

of estate

 

- These arrangements should

 be written down and filed with

 contracts for any pre-paid

services. Copies of documents

 should be also maintained by

family members and by your

lawyer and/or accountant;

 

- For more information, please

ask us about different

       packages we provide.

Your funeral home can handle all

 arrangements, which can

remove a lot of work,

frustration, indecision, and

worry for anyone.

The Franklin Cemetery has had a

longstanding policy that the

Cemetery is available to everyone,

 regardless of religious faith,

 ethnicity, social standing, and

 cultural circumstances. Nor is it

 limited to people by any

 geographical residence

 requirement. We have families in

 California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois,

 New Jersey, as well as all over

 the State of Michigan.

 

The Franklin Cemetery

Association holds in trust the

land on which burial rights are

assigned to members through

 purchase of specific burial sites.

 With the purchase of a site, the

 member acquires the right of

burial for the designated number

 of potential burials and

expectation of general care of

the Cemetery's grounds in

 perpetuity. Each single grave

can accommodate one casket

burial and one cremation burial,

or three cremation burials. Casket

 burials require a grave liner

 (inground cement or fiberglass

vault). Cremations may be in any

 kind of container.

 

The price to purchase burial

rights does not include the direct

 physical care of the grave site

itself (or whatever memorial that

may be placed on the site). The

 perpetual care is of the

 maintenance of the overall

Cemetery grounds in a manner

 consistent with an historic

country cemetery which does not

 include a manicured lawn or

sprinkling systems. It does

include weekly mowing and

string-whipping edging from

April through October, as well

as spring and fall clean-ups and

 overall debris removal. In

addition, the common facilities

like fencing, tree care, road

 maintenance (snow clearing in

 winter) and care of common

 areas are part of the perpetual

care service. The personal care

of individual grave sites is the

 responsibility of the member

family, according to the

guidelines and regulations

 established by the  Association’s

 Board of Directors. The Cemetery

 does have water stations

 throughout the cemetery for

members to use in the care of

their graves.

 

The Association does not

undertake to open or close

graves, but contracts with a

State-licensed cemetery

maintenance company for that

 service. The company charges its

 own fees for burials, and is paid

 directly by the member for the

 burial.

 

The present fees are:

 

***  - $1,300 for a casket burial;

***  - $700 for a cremation burial;

***  In addition, there is an extra

 charge of $100 for Saturday

burials. No Sunday burials

are allowed.

 

The Cemetery does not sell or

place markers, but does

regulate the size, style and

general character of markers,

 memorials and benches placed

in the cemetery. We can

recommend reputable monument

 companies with whom we work.

The cost of memorials varies

 according to the memorial

chosen. All markers, memorials

and benches must be approved

by the Cemetery Administrator

prior to placement and require an

 inground cement base (installed

 by our cemetery maintenance

 company) to help prevent

marker dislocation.

 

Members owning burial rights

may decide who is to be buried in

 sites owned by the members.

 However, no burial rights may

be sold or resold by the member

 who acquired the burial rights.

This prevents investment speculation on increasingly

valuable land. Should members

feel that they will not use all the

 burials available to them, the

 Cemetery may repurchase

gravesites at the original price

paid, so long as the Association’s

 Board believes the site is

 marketable. (A single grave in

the middle of a plot occupied by

 members of one family may not

be a marketable grave.)

The Cemetery is permitted to

 reclaim unused graves from

 members with whom we have

had no direct contact for an

extended period of time, and

have no up-to-date contact

 information. The Association has

 an annual membership fee of

$100, designed to assist with

 expenses.

The Cemetery is geographically

 located at the northwest corner

of Franklin Road and Scenic Drive,

 at the top of the hill, immediately

 south of the Village green and

civic buildings, at the yellow

flashing light. The Cemetery is

open during daylight hours for

 anyone to enter and take in the

 restful tranquility and beauty of

the setting. It is a popular

 destination for people to walk,

sit, have lunch or just relax or

 meditate.

 

 

ADDRESS:

26298 Scenic Dr, Franklin, MI 48025

(Northwest corner of Franklin Road and

Scenic Drive)