Potter Cemetery
N 42° 01.618 W 083° 18.403
17T E 309037 N 4655343
This is very odd as we were shuttled in for the dedication ceremony because I don't think there is public access to this.
Waymark Code: WMWQAX
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 10/01/2017
Views: 2
When the Friends of Potter Cemetery began to restore Potter Cemetery in 1998 the cemetery was landlocked meaning there was no public ingress or egress. This required the group to cross private land to reach the burial ground. In 2000 the Friends lost access to the cemetery. They tried to regain it through negotiations with the Township and landowners. After years of unsuccesful negotian attempts the group pursued litigration in 2007. In 2010 Ash Township purchased land to construct an access easement which opened in December of that year. In 2008 the group has begun legislative efforts to ensure access to Michigan cemeteries. Four years later Public Act 525 of 20212 unanimously passed and signed into law. It prohibits cemeteries from being landlocked.
In 1847 Ash and Berlin Township people began to be buried in this cemetery located on the property line between Royal and Mary Ann Potter's land and that of John and Margaret Flint. In 1860 the couples each deeded half an acre to the Swan Creek Cemetery Company. By the last known burial in 1930 more than eighty people had been buried here. Including five Masonic Lodge members, six Civil War veterans, early area citizens and their descendents. Over the years the cemetery deteriorated due to neglect and inaccessibility. Grave stones were vandalized and plants grew wild. The state of Michigan declared Potter Cemetery abandoned in 1968. In 1998 descendents of those buried here formed the Friends of Potter Cemetery to begin restoration efforts, including repairing grave markers, removing trees, and stumps and installing a fence.
Parking nearby?: no
D/T ratings: 
Registered Site #: S0179
Historical Date: Not listed
Historical Name: Not listed
Description: Not listed
website: Not listed
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