By Joette Kunse
Special to the Clarkston News

It’s time to make a visit to Lakeview Cemetery for the second annual Lakeview Cemetery Walk on Oct. 9
The walk starts at 1 p.m. with the last tour at 3:45 p.m.
This year’s event will feature seven volunteer actors representing Clarkston’s Civil War veterans who are buried in the cemetery, their wives, and the local storekeeper who helped the families during wartime. The actors will share information about the Clarkston men who volunteered for the Union Army and went to war. President Abraham Lincoln was known to make the statement, “Thank God for Michigan” as the state sent about a quarter of our young men to fight in the War Between the States.
Among the veterans featured are a school teacher, a blacksmith, a saddler, a doctor, and a couple of farmers turned soldiers. One of the featured soldiers was the grandson of President George Washington’s bodyguard. Another soldier wrote over 100 letters to his wife Rose and his friends in Clarkston.
The historic portion of Independence Township’s Lakeview Cemetery had its first burial in 1832 and was organized in 1850 on the hill overlooking Deer Lake and Middle Lake, previously known as Cemetery Lake. The land for the burial ground was donated by local farmer George Van Syckle for the Clarkston Union cemetery, which was later renamed as Lakeview Cemetery.
The cemetery has been undergoing a restoration project since 2021 with fallen gravestones raised and repaired, leveling of headstones, and headstone cleaning. Community organizations that have contributed time and/or funds to the project include Sashabaw Plains Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, Clarkston Historical Society, Cedar Lodge #60 Masonic Order, James Lazur’s Eagle Scout project, Keller Williams Realty, Clarkston Rotary, Rotary Interact Youth, Clarkston Genealogy Society, Clarkston United Methodist Church Youth group, Clarkston Junior High School 8th Grade History Class students and teacher Alex Sennabaum, Clarkston High School Honor Society, and other residents and families of Clarkston and Independence Township. The community contributions for the restoration was matched by Independence Township for the restoration project.
Tickets for the event are $15 and available at Eventbrite, on the Lakeview Cemetery Restoration Project’s Facebook page, and at the Gateway, 7150 North Main St.
Funds raised from the walk will be used to restore more headstones and monuments in the cemetery.

PHOTO: Steve Harris, portraying prosperous farmer Moses Cross, talks to guests at the 2021 Lakeview Cemetery Walk. Photo: Provided by Joette Kunse