Established in 1831 by Wayne County pioneer Israel Bell, this restricted-access historic cemetery is known for the Gardener's Grave legend — a death-stench apparition that emerges over the hill near the entrance.
Telegraph Rd (between Fenkel Ave and W. McNichols Rd), Redford, MI 48239
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free to visit; note that burial rights are restricted to descendants of Redford's pioneer families — it is not a public cemetery for interment, but grounds are accessible to visitors during daylight
Access
Wheelchair OK
Relatively flat cemetery grounds with paved entrance road; some uneven grave sections
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1831 · Founded 1831 — one of Wayne County's oldest cemeteries · Established by Israel Bell, brother of Redford Township's first settler · Approximately 2,000 pioneer-family interments spanning 190+ years · Restricted burial rights preserving its historical character
Redford Cemetery — originally founded as Bell Branch Cemetery — is among the oldest extant burial grounds in Wayne County, Michigan, dating to 1831. Israel Bell donated the original acre of land on Telegraph Road between Fenkel Avenue and W. McNichols Road, and the cemetery was named to honor his brother Azarias Bell, documented as Redford Township's first white settler.
Over nearly two centuries, the cemetery has grown to approximately 2,000 interments, all restricted to blood and marriage descendants of Redford's pioneer families — a policy that has kept the graveyard intimate and historically concentrated on the township's founding generation. The surrounding area transitioned from farmland to the Detroit suburban fabric over the 20th century, leaving the cemetery as a preserved green island amid the dense Redford Township residential and commercial landscape.
A two-bedroom farmhouse previously occupied the land before the cemetery's establishment, built on land that was part of the Granger farm. The cemetery has its own official website (redfordcemetery.org) and remains an active, maintained institution representing over 190 years of continuous community stewardship.
Sources
Redford Cemetery's most enduring paranormal tradition centers on a plot near the entrance known locally as the Gardener's Grave. According to accounts published by 99WFMK in 2018 and echoed by Michigan in Pictures in 2024, visitors who linger near this section of the cemetery on the left side of the main gate report a sudden, overwhelming smell described as the stench of decay or death — arising without warning and disappearing just as abruptly.
Following the smell, witnesses have reported the apparition of an elderly male figure emerging over the hill to the left, moving toward the entrance. The figure is consistently described as brief — appearing for only a few seconds before fading or disappearing entirely. No specific identity has been attached to the gardener: the legend refers to an unidentified former groundskeeper rather than a historically documented individual, and no biographical details have been claimed about this entity.
Beyond the Gardener's Grave, the cemetery hosts additional reported phenomena: the disembodied sobbing of a woman whose source cannot be pinpointed despite persistent searching, and shadow figures seen in the treeline surrounding the grounds. Some visitors have reported the ground rumbling and trembling underfoot at certain spots. These reports span multiple independent observers over several decades and have been documented by two distinct Michigan-focused media outlets.
Notable Entities
Self-guided walk through this 1831 pioneer cemetery to find the Gardener's Grave — reportedly just to the left of the main entrance — and explore 2,000 interments spanning Redford Township's earliest settler families.
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