YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, Mich. – After decades of benign neglect, a historic cemetery in Washtenaw County could be revived.
The Ypsilanti Township City Council has approved a plan to restore the Woodlawn Cemetery, located on Huron River Drive, just south of Ford Lake.
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The historic Black cemetery is the resting place for more than 150 people, many of whom played roles in Ypsilanti’s history and development. It has been abandoned since the 1960s and the city council said there isn’t a legal owner. While historic records were lost in a fire around the time it was abandoned, roughly 57 burials have been identified through alternative sources, including newspapers, death certificates and other documents.
Woodlawn Cemetery is currently unrecognizable as a burial ground. Overgrowth has turned the spot into an urban prairie where most grave markers have descended underground. It was purchased in 1945 by Second Baptist Church pastor Garther Roberson Sr., who wanted “a place where people of color could have a decent and dignified burial.”
The restoration plan involves identifying and preserving any historically significant plants while clearing overgrowth, improving drain systems and filling in collapsed graves.
Graves and gravestones would be found using LiDAR and Ground-Penetrating Radar. Submerged gravestones would be recovered and assessed for restoration or replacement and the veteran burial markers would be replaced through a Veterans Affairs program.
The restoration plan is expected to take roughly a year and a half.
Once restored, the grounds would be maintained by Ypsilanti Township, which would conduct regular inspections of the grounds, clean and maintain gravestones and structures and encourage volunteer groups to help with periodic tasks.
