Led by Bishop John Samuel Foley, the Diocese of Detroit purchased this land from Ephise Rosset in February 1914, and it became a new burial ground for Immaculate Conception of Blessed Virgin Mary after the church's first cemetery, St. Mary's, had nearly reached capacity. The first burial in Sacred Heart Cemetery was recorded on June 25, 1914. Because many parish members owned family plots in St. Mary's, the new cemetery had a low number of internments during its first few years. Several former pastors from the Immaculate Conception of Blessed Virgin Mary are buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery's priest mound. Fred Rose, who served as sexton for the parish from 1959 until 1997, is also buried there; he was the great-great-grandson of Etienne (Stephen) Rose, an early Anchorville settler who donated land for the parish's establishment in 1849. More than 150 veterans are buried in the cemetery, including soldiers who served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.