Famous people's places / Warren
Detroit Memorial Park East
Michigan's first Black-owned cemetery, founded in 1925 in Warren, where Supremes founder Florence Ballard is buried.
01 / The story of this place
Make time for these
Detroit Memorial Park was founded in 1925 near Thirteen Mile Road in what was then Warren Township, led by funeral director Charles C. Diggs Sr. and drugstore owner Aaron C. Toodle. At a time when most Detroit-area cemeteries refused Black burials or forced separate, unmarked sections, the two men organized Black Detroit's business and civic leaders to buy land and found Michigan's first Black-owned cemetery. The state designated it a historic site in 1976. Detroit Memorial Park East, the cemetery's section on East Thirteen Mile Road, is the resting place of Supremes founding member Florence Ballard, who was buried here in Section G in 1976, months after her sudden death from a heart attack at age thirty-two. The cemetery is also the resting place of Michigan Secretary of State Richard Austin and longtime U.S. Representative John Conyers.
- Founded in 1925 by Charles C. Diggs Sr. and Aaron C. Toodle
- Michigan's first Black-owned cemetery, created after white cemeteries refused Black burials
- Designated a Michigan historic site in 1976
- Supremes singer Florence Ballard is buried here, in Section G
- Also the resting place of Richard Austin and John Conyers
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 13
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Florence Ballard 1943–1976 · singer
Buried here
Cemetery in Warren where she is buried (Section G).
- Little Willie John 1937–1968 · singer, songwriter
Buried here
Cemetery founded in 1925 as Michigan's first Black-owned cemetery; his grave is here, as is that of the Supremes' Florence Ballard.
- Elijah McCoy 1844–1929 · engineer and inventor of automatic lubricators
Buried here
The Warren cemetery where he is buried.
- Johnnie Bassett 1935–2012 · blues guitarist, singer, songwriter
Buried here
Bassett's grave received a headstone from the Killer Blues Headstone Project in April 2022.
- Charles Diggs 1922–1998 · funeral director, state senator, congressman
Buried here
Black-owned cemetery founded in the 1920s by Detroit's African American business leaders; his grave is here.
- Big Maceo Merriweather 1905–1953 · blues pianist, singer
Buried here
The Black-founded cemetery in Warren where Big Maceo was buried after his death in Chicago.
- Teri Thornton 1934–2000 · jazz singer, pianist, composer
Buried here
Warren cemetery (Detroit Memorial Park East) where Thornton was buried in 2000.
- Donald Goines 1936–1974 · novelist
Buried here
The historically Black-owned cemetery in Warren where he is buried, according to Wikidata.
- Baby Boy Warren 1919–1977 · blues singer, guitarist
Buried here
Warren was buried here after his death in July 1977.
- Philippé Wynne 1941–1984 · singer
Buried here
His grave (per Wikidata).
- Darrell Banks 1937–1970 · singer
Buried here
His grave (per Wikidata).
- Bobo Jenkins 1916–1984 · blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, label owner
Buried here
His grave received a headstone from the Killer Blues Headstone Project in 2018.
- Charles Diggs Sr. 1894–1967 · funeral director, state senator
Buried here
Cemetery in Warren founded by Black Detroiters, where he is interred.
Is this your venue? Update this page for free ↗
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
Events at this place
Published events automatically linked from our event guide. Times are local to the venue.
We have no published upcoming events linked to this place yet. That does not mean the venue has no events; check its official calendar too.
Official website & visitor information ↗