Highland Memory Gardens

Highland Memory Gardens is a cemetery in Des Moines, IA, serving families seeking burial, pre-planning, and memorial services. Established in 1929, the grounds have operated as a private, lot-owner owned cemetery under the name Highland Perpetual Maintenance Society, Inc. since 1933. The facility is one of the first "Memorial Park" style cemeteries in the United States, a model that influenced cemetery design across the country. It holds a rating of 5.00 based on 34 customer reviews.

The cemetery covers 40 acres of developed ground and 10 acres of undeveloped land, featuring 23 individual gardens with names indicative of scenes in the life of Jesus. The first burial took place on April 14, 1930, in the Prayer Garden. There are currently 42,328 cemetery spaces, with approximately 15,000 still available for sale. The grounds include 18,056 burials, including 3,654 veterans. The Tower of Memories, erected in 1935 using limestone from Rowat Cut Stone, was the vision of Des Moines philanthropist F.W. Fitch. The staff includes Luke Berry, the Cemetery Director who joined in 2015, and Amber Elliott, the Family Services Representative who brings 16 years of funeral industry experience. Services include hand-setting of bronze memorials, placement of 2,000-pound vaults by the grounds crew, and provision of tents and chairs for every burial. Raising and leveling of markers is included in perpetual care.

Located at 1 NE 60th Ave, the cemetery sits about a quarter mile from Northwest 2nd Street. It is roughly half a mile from Saylor Creek and Margo Frankel Woods State Park, and about three-quarters of a mile from Cornell Elementary School and the Saylor Township Fire Department.

Highland Memory Gardens stands among the strongest in its category locally, maintaining a strong local reputation reflected in its consistently high customer ratings.

As a pioneering Memorial Park cemetery in Des Moines, Highland Memory Gardens continues to honor its vision of responsible stewardship and compassionate service to the community.