Memorial Day ceremony at Glen Arbor Township Cemetery honors Civil War veteran
By Linda Alice Dewey
Sun contributor
For the first time in nearly a century there will be a memorial ceremony under the auspices of the Township of Glen Arbor at the old cemetery on Forest Haven Road. In 1977, half a century after the last person was buried there, the cemetery was mistakenly transferred to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in a land title mix-up. The error was discovered 18 months ago and was put to rights over the following year.
A charter outlining the legalities of the cemetery’s future governance by a township cemetery commission is underway. Once in place, the commission will supervise work to clear the cemetery of remaining downed trees, then survey the ground with radar to locate the 33 unmarked graves. Only 13 graves are currently marked.
Four Civil War veterans are buried at the cemetery, three of them marked with headstones. Last year, while the cemetery was still legally inside the National Park, an impressive ceremony, limited by COVID-19 restrictions to 10 attendees, was performed honoring Civil War veteran Edmund Trumbull.
This year, John Sawyer of the Traverse City chapter of the Sons of Union Civil War Veterans will again perform a ceremony, this time honoring Civil War veteran Ruell Russel Welch. Sawyer will wear full Civil War period dress and will tell the public about Welch’s life and participation in the war. Norm Wheeler will play taps. Sawyer came out voluntarily to clean and reset the Welch headstone in Mid-May.
The service will be at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 28. The public is welcome. COVID-19 guidelines this year allow outside gatherings of up to 300 individuals. Groups who arrive together are asked to social distance from other groups and to wear masks.
The unmarked entrance path to the cemetery is located at the firebreak immediately next to the last house south of M-109 on the east side of Forest Haven Road. Attendees are asked not to park in front of residences. Walk in approximately 300 feet to the field of ferns and turn right (south) to enter the cemetery. Many graves are unmarked, so please try to stay on the path, such as it is.
