BY MATT MACKINDER
Clarkston News Editor

Lakeview Cemetery, on the corner of White Lake Road and Dixie Highway, is one of the most historic places in the Clarkston community, with the earliest grave in the cemetery dug in 1832.
The historic portion of the cemetery is on the hill overlooking Middle Lake and Deer Lake. Two Revolutionary War soldiers are buried in the cemetery as well as their families as well as several Civil War soldiers and families. The owner of the Clarkston Mill, doctors from the area, many of the farmers, hat makers, carpenters and stone masons as well as grocers, apothecary owners, and blacksmiths are in the graves on the hill.
Martha Axford Vliet, great granddaughter of John Hart of New Jersey, one of the 67 signers of the Declaration of Independence is buried in Lakeview Cemetery. The Vliets were one of the first families coming to Clarkston in the 1830s.
Needless to say, time has taken its toll on the cemetery, but through a community partnership with Independence Township, the Daughters of the American Revolution is helping to raise funds to repair and level 288 graves – 102 of the 288 graves need major repair.
The partnership has hired Carter Cemetery Preservation to do some of the repairs though only some funds have been raised.
The community is being asked to help with the cleaning of the graves with coordination from the Sashabaw Plains Chapter of DAR.
Facilitators for cleaning will be there to help on Community Impact Weekend, this Saturday and Sunday, April 24 and 25, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and on the second Saturday of each month through October, also from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Last October, community members cleaned about 20 graves.
“With community help cleaning the gravestones, we can cut some of the costs of the restoration,” said community member Joette Kunse. “This is truly a community project demonstrating our respect for the pioneers of our town.”
Gravestones have sat in the cemetery for almost 200 years and the moss, algae and pollution has worked the decay on the stones.
Bushes and trees which were planted have grown over the more than 150 years since they have been planted and uprooted gravestones.
Gravestones are brushed clean with soft brushes and washed with Wet and Forget. The Wet and Forget continues to clean after the washing.
“Sometimes you can get (the color) real close, and sometimes you can’t,” said Dave Carter of Carter Cemetery Preservation. “It all depends on how the stone has stained over the years. We kind of throw some powders in to try to darken the grout the best we can. Most of the time we get pretty close, but with 160-, 170-year-old stones, it’s hard to match right.”
The Carter Cemetery Restoration Company starts by locating as many pieces of a stone as they can, then hand scrubbing the shards to ensure their epoxies have a clean surface to adhere to. Carter uses two different epoxies, first applying a fast-drying solution before adding a more durable formula that requires 24 hours to cure. A finishing grout is then applied to the sealed cracks in an attempt to hide Carter’s handiwork.
All donated funds from the community will be matched by Independence Township. The gravestones needing repair run between $500 and $750. Contributions may be made to the Sashabaw Plains Chapter NSDAR, PO Box 1011, Clarkston 48347 if you would like to help with the restoration.
For more information, email Kunse at jkhorses46@gmail.com.