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| Pic of the Lowing Cemetery, taken in November 2019 by the author |
The Lowing Cemetery is located at 28th
Ave and Bauer. According to the book Bend
In The River,
"The saga of the cemetery came about some time later when
Stephan's brother, Holden [Lowing], wished to extend a logging road,
which led north from Hudsonville, across his land. Holden asked
permission of Stephan to have the road cross his property, making a
straight access north from Hudsonville to the Ohio Mill's Dock on the
Grand River. The plan was a feasible one, but Stephan refused to
give his consent, angering Holden. Years passed, and then Stephan
proposed to build a road going through to the river. He started
proper procedure for approval of its construction. However, Holden,
who was then supervisor of Georgetown Township, hadn't forgotten the
earlier incident. Knowing that a road cannot disturb a cemetery, he
turned the southern most part of his land into a pauper's field,
burying one of the poor charges of the Township there."
For
a little modern context, we can reasonably ascertain that the Ohio
Mill's Dock is on the current site of Grand River Park, on 28th
Ave. north of Fillmore. There's a little pond on site that's a hot
hole for bass and bluegill, and if you launch a boat into the river
and go upstream to the second island, there's a little creek that
flows into the river, and there's some badass walleye fishin' there.
The
Lowing Cemetery is on record as being a "spite cemetery."
But, there are 4 specific cemeteries that come up in the history of
Jenison, Georgetown Township, and the greater Grandville area
(according to Memorials
Of The Grand River Valley,
the entire Jenison/Grandville/Wyoming metro area was one continuous
cityscape, until we got things like train tracks and later, an
interstate highway). These 4 are Lowing, of course; the Jenison
Cemetery; the Smallpox Cemetery, and the Haire Cemetery. I remember
studying Jenison history in 3rd
Grade, and there's a little inkling of a memory that the other three
cemeteries were made out of spite (just like the Lowing one), but as
of December 2019, I have been unable to find any good sources on the
motives of putting the other three at major intersections.
Jenison's Cemetery is located at the
intersection of Port Sheldon St. and 8th Ave. It's still
used as a private cemetery for members of the Jenison family. Once
every few years, a car will blow the stop sign on 8th Ave,
either due to intoxication or bad weather, and demolish the cemetery
gate.
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| Scan of possible burials in the Smallpox Cemetery |
The Smallpox Cemetery is at the
intersection of Vos St. and 10th Ave. It's listed as
abandoned in the County's register, much like the Shackhuddle
Cemetery, but I was unable to get out of the car and look around the
site of the Smallpox Cemetery, as the area is highly residential
these days and I didn't want to be too much of a creep (I'm already
in a black car driving slowly around a subdivision, for Pete's sake).
Attached is a scan from an Ottawa County register on possible
burials at the Smallpox Cemetery.
The Haire Cemetery is located at 22nd
Ave and Fillmore. I'm not sure I'd call this area a 'ghost town,'
but Haire's Landing was a location on the Grand River that was vital
for passenger boats and logging, and the Cemetery undoubtedly served
the area until river service ended. I got a few picture of the
cemetery, then drove north to Begole Street to see what I could see.
That area is populated, so I was unable to get out of the car and
poke around. If you happen to read this, and live in the
neighborhood off of 22nd Ave and Begole in Jenison, please
let me know if there are any ruins back there from the old Haire's
Landing.
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| The Haire Cemetery, taken in November 2019 by the author |
Works Cited:
Everett, Franklin. Memorials of the
Grand River Valley. Chicago Legal News Company, 1878.
Ancona, Gaspar F. Where The Star
Came To Rest. Editions Du Signe, 2001.
McGee, John W. Bend In The River.
William B. Eeerdmans Publishing Company, 1973.
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