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All the United States Michigan United Memorial Gardens
AO Edited

United Memorial Gardens

In addition to the usual gravestones, this Michigan cemetery features a birdhouse mausoleum and an Ark of the Covenant replica.

Plymouth, Michigan

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apbreuhan
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Birdhouse Mausoleum   apbreuhan / Atlas Obscura User
Birdhouse Mausoleum   apbreuhan / Atlas Obscura User
Tall Jesus knocks on the United Nations building   apbreuhan / Atlas Obscura User
From the “Facts of Life” section   apbreuhan / Atlas Obscura User
“The Eyes of Christ”   apbreuhan / Atlas Obscura User
“Michigan is God’s creation”   apbreuhan / Atlas Obscura User
Statue of Cecelia Crocker, the only survivor of the Flight 255 crash   apbreuhan / Atlas Obscura User
Ark of the Covenant   apbreuhan / Atlas Obscura User
Golden Lampstand and Table of Showbread   apbreuhan / Atlas Obscura User
Tabernacle replica   apbreuhan / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Though it might look like an ordinary cemetery at first glance, when you walk through the grounds of United Memorial Gardens in Plymouth, Michigan, you'll notice quirky landmarks like a birdhouse mausoleum and a life-sized replica of the Biblical tabernacle.

The cemetery was first opened in 1929, but Ed Wensley's management in the 1950s gave the grounds a special character. Wensley offered hayrides through the grounds and let people rent paddle boats for the artificial lake in the back. He also populated the burial ground with unique structures and monuments.

The tabernacle was built in 1985, and according to Wensley, was the first to-scale replica in the world. The tabernacle was a movable dwelling-place/sanctuary used by the Israelites in the Book of Exodus. Look inside the windows of the United Memorial Gardens tabernacle, and you'll see replicas of the Ark of the Covenant, the golden lampstand, and more.

Other monuments include "the Wonders of Michigan," a series of marble pedestals boasting of Michigan tourist attractions arranged in the shape of the Lower Peninsula; the Facts of Life," where Wensley rhythmically cautions against un-Christian behavior like drug use, premarital intercourse, and non-heterosexual relationships; a statue memorializing Cecelia, the only survivor of a Detroit airplane crash; and a birdhouse mausoleum for our avian pets.

Declining health forced Wensley to sell the graveyard in 1996. While new management put an end to the hayrides and paddle-boats, the unique structures and monuments remain, and United Memorial Gardens still invites visitors to admire the grounds.

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Gravestones Graveyards Cemeteries

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apbreuhan

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May 20, 2022

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  • https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/21285
  • https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/21285
United Memorial Gardens
4800 Curtis Rd
Plymouth, Michigan, 48170
United States
42.344886, -83.605089
Visit Website
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Photo of Michigan

Michigan

United States

Places 271
Stories 29

Nearby Places

Matthaei Botanical Gardens

Ann Arbor, Michigan

miles away

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Michigan

Michigan

United States

Places 271
Stories 29

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