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Comments:
Laura - 2005-03-04 20:59:45 When you ponder this map, you get the sense that, in the days before everything was named and branded, that these street names evolved informally as colloquial references to local landmarks, as opposed to the landowners declaring their particular stretch of muddy wagon-rut "Wiard Road." Imagined conversation between farmer and lost traveler southeast of Ypsi: "How d'ya get to the Holmes place? Well, just take Harris's road here up to where it dead-ends on Holmes's road and turn left..."* * * * * * * * * * * * Eric - 2005-03-05 11:45:11 I have a possible explanation for Prospect Park's designation as a cemetary in 1874. It could be that the cemetary had not yet been reclaimed for another use by that time. The mapmakers might have used the cemetary designation just out of convenience and depended on the common knowledge that it used to be a cemetary. I called Highland this morning; the woman I spoke with believes that the reinterments would have been completed by the time of the new cemetery's dedication in 1864. She doesn't have any documentation, however, and referred me to the "Benton" library in Detroit, which has the names and burial sites of the reinterred people. I googled Benton Library Detroit with no luck. It's also possible, but not likely, that the mapmakers made a mistake. When I was doing a lot of research on the Hand family, about seven years ago, I saw a framed map of Ypsi in the Ypsi Historical Library that has a gross error: the Huron River runs north and south between Highland and St. John's cemeteries. No one builds cemeteries on riverbanks because floods wash away bodies. What does divide the two cemeteries is River Street. But I'd attribute that error to the mapmaker in Chicago. Too funny. The Bentley Library on N. Campus might be helpful, if you want to find out for sure. * * * * * * * * * * * * Eric - 2005-03-05 11:47:12 Oops. Missed some tags up there.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-05 12:43:56 Wow. How nice is it that you actually called the place--very cool, thank you, Eric. Your explanation that it hadn't yet been re-used and so, despite being emptied, was still thought of as "the old cemetery" seems reasonable. The error you describe is funny! I'll have to get down to the museum to check it out, if it's still hung up. You're right--some off-site mapmaker goofed up. At any rate, thanks for a very informative and helpful post, Eric.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-05 12:44:49 I've heard vaguely of the Benton Library in Detroit but have never visited it.* * * * * * * * * * * * Eric - 2005-03-05 16:18:42 I think she meant the Burton Historical Collection in the Detroit Public Library. I've found a few pointers that say it's a source of genealogical data for Washtenaw County.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-05 16:23:56 Oh, yes, that rings a bell. Thank you for the clarification Eric. A friend writes with more info about the cemetery: "Although Highland was dedicated in 1864, what is now Prespect Park remained a cemetery until the early 1890's. It was then a group of women formed to have the bodies removed and the site turned into a park. By the way, it is said 14 bodies remain in the park today. I should also add, that St John's Cemetery was on land that is now part of the EMU campus until 1888. It was then the bodies were removed to the present site." Yep, I've seen St. John's cemetery on old plat maps. * * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2005-03-05 16:48:20 One of the most interesting things I found while cruising the web one time was some very old right-of-way paperwork that had to do with allowing my town to officially construct a road through someone's fields which had previously been essentially a driveway by the house. It was exactly the the way you say, Laura -- the driveway existed and cut through the property, and then others' driveways connected to it, and informally it became the way you got here or there, and then finally the town codified it (people were apparently less fussy about property and "tresspassing", etc. back then).* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-05 18:32:29 Wow--interesting! Your description of how roads evolved is very evocative of that time, Anna. Thanks. It's very cool to find out the origin of road names. There's a tiny street called "Photo" in Depot Town, out back of the Sidetrack, that a friend says was named for a onetime nearby photo studio...wish I knew where that once was.* * * * * * * * * * * * Suzie - 2005-03-05 18:57:19 It's funny that you should post this today, because also today, we were looking at our own old Ypsi map and wondering about the whole "prospect park / cemetary /when did it switch" thing. Excellent timing!* * * * * * * * * * * * Suzie - 2005-03-05 19:01:49 Of course, it seems that you look at old maps with relative frequency, so I suppose it's not too much of a coincidence... :)* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2005-03-05 19:30:06 Suzie: that's quite a coincidence! I'm glad you visited. It's interesting, isn't it? Wonder where on earth those leftover 14 bodies are. Probably very old graves that maybe were missing their headstone, I guess. Yep, I do look at old maps all the time, because I find them so interesting. I love watching some pocket of Ypsi morph through the years, as charted on plat maps. On my dining room wall is a giant laminated repro of a 1931 map of Ypsi that a kind friend gave me. Here in the office is a 1902 map of Ypsi and Augusta County. And I've got books showing lots of Ypsi/Washtenaw plat maps through the years. I love looking at all these things, and feel lucky to have them.* * * * * * * * * * * * visit chrysanthemum - 2005-10-12 04:10:08 You can also take a look at some helpful info about flowers flowers http://www.flower4us.com/glass-vases.html http://www.flower4us.com/glass-vases.html ... Thanks!!!* * * * * * * * * * * * add your comment: |