Oakhill Cemetery
647 Hall Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49507
Did you miss out on the "Tragedy, Terror and True Crime Tour" last fall? Check out this 49-minute video of tour highlights filmed by Michael Delaware. Have you taken the "Black History Tour"? Check out this short video about it by local filmmaker David Benoit.
To learn about the tours being offered, see the Tours page. Sign up to participate in a tour on the Sign Up page. For an up-to-date tour schedule, see the Calendar page. If you are interested in a tour that you do not see on the calendar, reach out to Shannon at grcemeterytours@gmail.com. Tours may be scheduled upon request.
Tour participants should meet at the small parking lot at the entrance to the cemetery on the north side of Hall Street (next to the brick office building) 10 minutes prior to the tour's start time. Tours are one and a half to two hours and entail more than a mile of walking so please wear your walking shoes. Tours are limited to 30 persons, so sign up is required.
Tours cost $10/person to be paid at the start of the tour via cash, Cash App or Venmo. Children ages 10 and under are free of charge. Black History Tours are always free of charge, but participants are encouraged to donate to the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives at https://www.facebook.com/graamahistory/.
Tour participants should meet at the small parking lot at the entrance to the cemetery on the north side of Hall Street (next to the brick office building) 10 minutes prior to the tour's start time. Tours are one and a half to two hours and entail more than a mile of walking so please wear your walking shoes. Tours are limited to 30 persons, so sign up is required.
Tours cost $10/person to be paid at the start of the tour via cash, Cash App or Venmo. Children ages 10 and under are free of charge. Black History Tours are always free of charge, but participants are encouraged to donate to the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives at https://www.facebook.com/graamahistory/.
Rev. Shannon Jammal-Hollemans has been a lifelong resident of Grand Rapids until her recent move to Lowell, Michigan where she pastors First Congregational United Church of Christ. She started researching Oakhill Cemetery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the skills she acquired researching genealogy over the past 25 years, her curiosity about history, and her love for good stories; she weaves together tales of love and courage, hatred and fear, jealousy and greed to generate vivid images of the lives of those buried in one of Grand Rapids' historic cemeteries. She hopes that more stories will fuel more tours of more cemeteries in the years to come. Contact her at grcemeterytours@gmail.com with questions or comments.