Cemetery History

Cemetery Tour, October 15, 2016

The Niles History Center and the Friends of Silverbrook will host its annual cemetery tour on Saturday, October 15th. The tour will begin at 10 a.m. at the main entrance-office area. Re-enactors will portray Edward Lapierre, Anna Eisner, Charles Brunk and Dagmar Stegmann. 

Learn about historical people and famous folks who founded Niles, including the families of author Ring Larder and John and Horace Dodge. Several Civil War veterans, including a general and members of the United States Colored Troops are buried here as well. 

The tour is free, but reservations are recommended. To register, please call, 269-845-4054.

The 2012 Edition of the Silverbrook Cemetery Listing Now Available on Amazon.com

Volume 1 Volume 2

Now available at Amazon.com is the 2012 Graves Listing!  This two volume set contains over 20,000 records of those interred here at Silverbrook.  This is your way of taking our on-line database with you and leaving your computer at home.  Each volume is only $15, over 350 pages each, printed landscape on easy-to-read 8-1/2"x11" paper.

 

SIDEWALKS TO THE CEMETERY--May 12, 1916

SIDEWALKS TO THE CEMETERY

Cemetery Board Will Ask Council to Provide Better Way to Reach City of Dead, Where Over 8,000 Lie Buried.


    The board of cemetery trustees at the meeting last evening passed a resolution that the council be petitioned to order cement sidewalks built from Fifth and Michigan streets to the southwest entrance to the cemetery and from Thirteenth street to the northeast approach to the cemetery.
    There are about 8,000 graves in Silver Brook cemetery and the well kept condition of most of them indicate that the cemetery is at all times frequently visited.
    The two leading approaches to the cemetery are often times in bad condition, especially after a heavy rain.  On Michigan street particularly there is scarcely a path to the cemetery and the need of the sidewalk is apparent.  This is one of the most traveled approaches to the cemetery as it is the road leading directly from the car line.
    It is understood that the property owners in that neighborhood are in favor of making the improvement.

Niles Daily Sun, Friday, May 12, 1916, page 1, col. 6, microfilm Niles District Library.

1878 Cemetery Plan

 Niles Republican II, Thurs. Jan. 3, 1878, page 3, col. 2 (Microfilm Niles District Library)

The rather promiscuous manner of burying in our cemetery hereto, will in the future be done in a more orderly way.  The trustees, some time ago, engaged Hon. Silas Ireland to prepare a topographical map of the grounds, and the work is now completed.  Greatly to the credit of the gentleman employed and to the satisfaction of the trustees.