DETROIT – The mystery surrounding several headstones found next to a home on Detroit’s east side continues to play out.
If anyone knows whether it is an actual gravesite, it’s Paul Weeks Jr. with Otto Schemansky’s and Sons Inc.
His family has been working in the memorial business since 1883 in what used to be one of 14 monument companies on Detroit’s east side.
“Looking at the condition of the stones, they’re not easy to break in half,” said Weeks Jr. “More than likely, those stones were ones that were replaced due to being damaged.”
Many of you sent suggestions that Local 4 look at public records, which we already had. According to death certificates, several people were supposedly buried at Mt. Olivet and Forest Lawn Cemetery. Both places say they have no records for anyone. Weeks Jr., however, says there may be a reason why.
“Based off of the dates of those stones, back then, there was no computer,” Weeks Jr. said. “There was no system like that, and it’s hard to keep papers in good condition for that length of time. Like talking close to 80 years now.”
One of the only ways to truly find out what lies beneath is to dig. However, Weeks Jr. says another possibility is that people, once upon a time, may have used the stones just to be resourceful.
“If there are mud patches in the backyard or something like that, someone could say I would want to use that as a pathway, and it certainly seems like what they’ve been laid out as because the typical spacing for an actual grave is much wider than just that,” Weeks Jr. said.
The Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Department sent us the following statement:
“Staff reviewed the address provided, and it does not correlate to any abandoned cemeteries known to the Department. However, it does appear that the address is close to Mount Olivet Cemetery, which is regulated by the Department under the Cemetery Regulation. There is no way to determine if the markers may have come from the Mount Olivet Cemetery.”
Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Department
More: Mysterious headstones, ‘hidden cemetery’ found near home on Detroit’s east side