TOMBSTONE GAZETTE Tombstone Gazette Tombstone Gazette
Oakwood Cemetery Newsletter

329 MAPLE PHONE (734) 283-7513 WYANDOTTE Ml 48192

VOL. 2 NO. 1 JANUARY 1998 PAGE 1


Here we are with a brand new year, our second year of publication . To start the year off we would like to say we are very impressed with the success the Gazette has enjoyed over the past year and hope our continued service may be as well received. We would also like to thank our advertisers and patrons who have made our continued existence possible. Over the past year our distribution has averaged around 400 copies per month, really not bad for a fledgling dedicated to a special interest.

As we embark on our journey through the coming year, it is a pleasure to announce a broadening of our horizons in that starting this year THE TOMBSTONE GAZETTE may be found on the Library Web Sites at info.wyandotte.lib.mi.us/cicl.htm Then go to HISTORY and it will be listed under OAKWOOD CEMETERY. We hope this will make the Gazette even more accessible to those who have an interest in the subject. This may be a temporary address but any change will be duly noted so readers will be ebb to follow where ever we go.

Now is an excellent time to give you a peak into what may be expected during the coming year. Each month there will be at least one article on the history and development of the cemetery itself, at least one concerning a person or persons interred in the cemetery as well as an update on any action undertaken to accommodate the restoration and preservation of the site. Whenever possible any associated news will also be presented, however; we can not print that of which we have no knowledge. For this reason we ask anyone with information about the cemetery or persons buried there to contact the editor so the same may be published for our readers benefit. If we all worn together in this effort I am certain The Gazette can become not only an interesting and informative newsletter but a valuable source of Wyandotte and Downriver area history.

As we look at the line up for work at the cemetery we find good prospects for things to report for that quarter. the primary objective for 1998 is to get rid of the water problem which has been the main hinderance to progress in the restoration effort. This problem is being reviewed but thus far progress has been slow. Those who are involved in the project know what is needed but the drawback is obtaining the wherewithal! to accomplish it. If some sort of drainage is not installed in the very near future there will be nothing left to restore and the City of Wyandotte will have aquired a five acre man made swamp perfect for breeding mosquitoes and spreading disease. Perhaps then it will be realized that the price of preventing further decay of this historic would have indeed been a bargain.

The secondary goal is the leveling and resetting the many monuments which have fallen during the period of neglect but this cannot be accomplished unless the drainage problem is first solved. There has been much speculation as to the cause of this drainage problem, but when you consider the facts it is fairly simple. In 1886 an item in the Wyandotte Herald stated the drainage fin the cemetery was perfect. Since the cemetery has not been lowered the ground around it has been raised without providing a means for water which collects there to get out of the low spot created. With this in mind perhaps it is time to consider the feasibility of a simple drain to let this water out.



VOL. 2 NO. 1 JANUARY 1998 PAGE 2
Birth of a Cemetery

In the year 1826 an 11 year old girl, CATHERINE CLARK, died and was buried on land belonging to the Clark family in the Southeast comer of Section 21 of Ecorse Township, Wayne County, Michigan. The shore of the Detroit river at that time was about 60 or 70 feet east of the spot where she was buried putting it at about the location of the east fence of the present cemetery site. An early account of Wyandotte history by Dr. E.P. Christian in 1888 talks of this being the GEORGE CLARK farm but an early plat map of the area shows it as that of JOHN P. CLARK with that of GEORGE CLARK further west at about the location of present day BIDDLE AVE. To add to the confusion, at a later date when this parcel was registered as a cemetery, the lot where she is buried was listed as belonging to NELSON CLARK, another brother. There is, however, no doubt that this burial was the first in what is know as OAKWOOD CEMETERY.

In 1827 Catherine was joined by her Father JOHN CLARK thus increasing the family burial plot. Because this was a family plot and in view of the fact there were no laws governing burials in those days, reliable records are hard to find from that period, however; cemeteries were also scarce at that time and it is said that the Clark family allowed friends and neighbors the privilege of burying loved ones in the area. In 1832 we have a record of a 15 year old girl named FLORENCE MYERS who was interred at this site tending to substantiate this story. We do know the Clark family set aside a portion of the farm as a burying grounds during the 1850s.This was probably in response to the Cemetery Control Act passed by the State Legislature in 1855. Subsequent to this date the number of burials recorded increases and in 1869 it was officially registered with the State as Oakwood Cemetery.

As I said before, accurate records of the early days are scarce but after careful study of those which do exist it is possible to form a probable picture of the development of the site. The first formal layout for burial purposes was probably a strip of 30 or 32 lots two wide along the south boundary of the farm from the river bank to the west. This concept is obscure and difficult to conceive since the south fence of the present site is not along the south border of the farm as it existed at that time. For some unknown reason the present fence was erected at what would be the center line of this double strip of lots. This means that the north 24 foot of the recycle center occupies land which was at that time cemetery. It appears the first addition to this probably was to extend it approximately 400 feet to the north along the river bank causing an irregular boundary along the east side. The next alteration seem to be a sixty foot strip along the west side, sixteen feet of which was left as a carriage path between the existing cemetery and the addition. To bring it to the arrangement believed to be that registered with the state in 1869 there was one more strip added along the west side of about 50 feet allows another 16 foot carriage path and a strip one block wide to the west of this path. These blocks consisted of 8 lots in a two by four configuration with a 4 foot wide walkway called an alley dividing them into groups of 4 on each side of this North - South walkway. The blocks were separated by 8 foot walkways called streets running east and west. The 1869 plot map also shows a 4 foot alley plus a 10 foot undivided band the entire length of the western boundary. The original of this map still shows the Eastern boundary as the river bank, however: after the Eureka Iron Co. bought the BIDDLE estate just to the south of the cemetery the river shallows were used as a dump for slag and refuse from the mill. an atlas with Wayne County maps dated 1876 this as marshy area between the cemetery and the river bank at that time. Ten years later in 1886 there were complaints of drainage problems in the cemetery and the owner John P. Clark caused some dredging to be done which relieved the problem and according to the item in the Wyandotte Herald the drainage was then perfect. This problem was no doubt caused by excessive filling along the river cutting off the natural drainage. An overhead view of Wyandotte in 1896 shows a channel, probably created by this dredging, meandering through the area shown as marsh on the 1876 map.

During the 1890s or early 1900s the estate of JOHN P. CLARK, who died in 1888, made another addition to the site bringing it to its present 5.2 acres. There is no record, however; of any provision for future care ever being formed thus allowing neglect to charge its toll on a truly historic site where many of the great pioneers of the area are interred. In the late 1940s and early 1950s an effort was made to rectify this oversight but when FRED CLASSON the driving force behind this effort died the effort seems to have died with him At a later date VFW post 1136 offered to care for this hallowed shrine as a community service project but were discouraged by the City. Let us hope a renewed effort sponsored by THE WYANDOTTE HISTORICAL SOCIETY and many of the VFW posts in DISTRICT 4 VFW as well as many other Veterans in the area will meet with more success.

IN LOVING MEMORY:

OF A LOVING

Father

and

Husband

ROBERT

W.

TORZEWSKI

Jr.


PATRONS


Veterans of Foreign

Wars

POST 4012

438 S. MAIN ST.

NORTHVILLE MICHIGAN 48167


T0RZEWSKI

FAMILY

WYANDOTTE MICHIGAN


THE

FAIRCHILD

FAMILY

In memory of

THE LEHMANN FAMILY


In Memory of

Charles W Lehmann

2-12-1921 9-28-1996

U.S. Army


Ruth & James

Breza


Lapeer Michigan


ADVERTISEMENTS:


WOODRUFF MONUMENT CO.

Cemetery Memorials of Distinction


WM. "BILL" WOODRUFF

Monument Mason - Sculptor


2836 Biddle Ave.
Wyandotte, M1 48192 313- 282 6030

Cotton Pickin' Quilts, Inc.

26261 Huron River Drive

Flat Rock, Michigan 48134

(313) 783-5406

**Fabrics
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Mon - Fri. 11-7

Sat. 11-4

Sun. Closed

Evenings By Appt.

B. CLEVER CRAFTS

& FLORAL DESIGNS

Weddings Funerals All Occasions

Hand Crafted Gifts* Supplies *Classes


Michaleen
(313) 282-5511 1400Eureka Rd.
Fax (313) 282-8014 Wyandotte MI 48192

RUBBER STAMPS & SUPPLES



JOE TURON

CEMENT & BRICK

MASON

(313) 284 - 9843

Call after 7 P.M.



HELP SAVE A PIECE OF


HISTORY

Oakwood Cemetery

Biddle&Northline Wyandotte Mi 48192


NAME__________________________________ DATE__________________

ADDRESS_____________________________________________________
PHONE_____________________________

I WOULD LIKE TO HELP SAVE OAKWOOD CEMETERY IN THE FOLLOWING WAY.

1. I would like to help in the restoration work at the Cemetery. Please Inform me of the nextt work day.

2. I would likee to help with the research required please tell me what I can do.

3. I would like to have the Tombstone Gazette delivered to my home each month. ( Please enclose $5.00 for postage and handling )

4 I would like a Memorial notice in the Tombstone Gazette as follows:
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( Your Copy will be proceeded by the line In Memory of:Please enclose $25.00 for I year-12 issues ) You will be mailed a copy each month.

5. I would like a copy of my business card printed in the Tombstone Gazette each month for one year. ( Please send a business card and a donation of $50.00 )

6. Please accept my donation of $25.00 as a patron (Your name will appear in the Tombstone Gazette for 12 issues and you will be mailed a copy each month

RETURN TO: TOMBSTONE GAZETTE
329 Maple
Wyandotte Mi. 48192
(313) 283 7513

Please make checks payable to DONALD L HEDGER Editor



VOL. 2 NO. 1 JANUARY 1998 PAGE 4

Updates !!!!!

WERE I A POLITICIAN, MY STATEMENT AT THIS TIME WOULD BE "WE ARE MOVING RIGHT ALONG WITH A SOLUTION OF THE DRAINAGE PROBLEM." OR AS A DIPLOMAT, THE PHRASE MIGHT BE" THOSE INVOLVED ARE DEDICATED TO AN EARLY SOLUTION", HOWEVER I AM NAUGHT BUT A LOWLY REPORTER AND THEREFOR CAN IN GOOD CONSCIENCE GIVE ONLY THE FACTS AS THEY ARE PRESENTED.

IN LATE JULY 1997 A LETTER EXPRESSING THE CONCERNS OF 14 DIFFERENT VETERANS GROUPS WAS SENT TO THE MAYOR OF WYANDOTTE REQUESTING HIS ASSISTANCE IN FINDING SOME MEANS OF RELIEVING THE FLOODING PROBLEM AT OAKWOOD CEMETERY WHICH WAS A DETRIMENT TO THE PROPER CARE OF THIS SITE. IN THE 6 MONTHS THAT HAVE PASSED SINCE THIS INITIAL CONTACT, PRELIMINARY MEETINGS HAVE PRODUCED THE FACTS AS FOLLOWS:

1. IT IS UNDESIRABLE TO ROUTE THIS WATER TO THE CITY STORM SEWERS AT THIS LOCATION BECAUSE THEY ARE ALREADY OVER LOADED.

2. A SURVEY SHOULD BE CONDUCTED TO ASCERTAIN THE BEST METHOD OF GETTING RID OF THIS OBJECTIONABLE FLOODING,

3. IN THE 6 MONTHS WHICH HAVE EXPIRED THERE HAS BEEN NO APPARENT OVERLOAD TO THE EXISTING SEWER SYSTEM AT OR NEAR THIS LOCATION, HOWEVER; BEAUTIFUL LAKE OAKWOOD STILL EXISTS IN ALL ITS MAJESTY.

4. NO ATTEMPT AT TEMPORARY RELIEF, SUCH AS PUMPING SOME OF THIS WATER OUT DURING PERIODS WHEN THE SEWERS ARE NOT OVERLOADED, HAS BEEN MADE. THESE ARE THE FACTS AS KNOWN BY THOSE WHO PRESENTED THIS CONCERN AT THE PRESENT TIME. SINCE WE BELIEVE OUR READERS ALL TO BE OF NORMAL INTELLIGENCE, WE LEAVE IT TO YOU TO FORMULATE YOUR OPINION AS TO THE STATUS OF THIS PROJECT. FOR THOSE AMONG YOU WHO ARE OPTIMISTS, I MUST IN ALL FAIRNESS SAY, THERE IS AN UNCONFIRMED RUMOR THAT THE SURVEY HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND B.A.S.F. ENGINEERS ARE AT PRESENT WORKING OUT A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM WITH A POSSIBILITY OF WORK BEGINING IN THE SPRING.


December Tombstone Gazette



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