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The dead are brought back to life each fall as volunteers research former town residents buried in the town’s two cemeteries and represent them for the annual Wyandotte Historic Cemetery Walk.
The annual event, which began in 2007 and ended in 2020 during the pandemic, is the most profitable annual fundraiser for the city’s museums, raising around $ 8,500 in a typical year, between ticket sales and donations.
In addition to a shuttle ride to the cemetery, which departs from the Ford-MacNichols House, ticket holders are treated to vintage Halloween decorations in the Queen Anne-style Victorian mansion, as well as a room draped in black for a twentieth century funeral tour.
This year at Mount Carmel Cemetery, guests will follow a path lit by lanterns and jack-o ‘lanterns, and stop at a series of stops, where costumed figures representing the deceased buried nearby will share stories about their life.
In recent years, Oakwood Cemetery has also been used for the annual walk.
When guests return to the museum campus, they are treated to refreshments and a paranormal presentation at the Marx House.
Wyandotte Museum director Jesse Rose said the stories told by the reenactors contribute to the popularity of the event.
“Wyandotte’s story is vast and important,” he said. “For those looking for a way to spend an October evening, you can’t go wrong walking through a local cemetery at night, learning about the life and death of a former resident.”
Rose said that while other towns have followed the town’s lead and launched their own cemetery walks, guests continue to return to the Wyandotte event due to the museum’s genuine efforts to convey the customs of a bygone era.
“The crisp fall air, the spooky setting of a cemetery at night, the museum’s funeral decorations, and the intriguing story wrap it all in an arch and make the cemetery walk an event that guests want to see. year after year, ”he said. .
Rose said many famous residents have symbolically risen from the dead to tell their stories, representing well-known Wyandotte names like Drennan, Cahalan, Bittorf, Hoersch and Marx.
He said the first spirit encountered each year is Henry F. Thon, Wyandotte’s first undertaker, and the person who buried the most bodies until the turn of the 20th century.
Other colorful minds included Maria and Frank Marx, of the town’s Marx brewery; so-called local gangsters; Alice Yeary, mother of actor Lee Majors, born in Wyandotte; and Reverend Leo Jarecki, a Catholic priest who was shot and killed in the parsonage of Mt. Carmel Church by an unknown gunman.
As of 2018, the pumpkin lanterns that adorn the cemetery’s walkways have been carved by art students at Wyandotte Roosevelt High School.
“They are doing a great job and it gives them the opportunity to show off their skills,” said Rose.
Reenactors who have shown their skills for many years include Michelle Blankenship, who started in 2007; her husband, Mike Granzeier, who started in 2008; and their son, Clyde Granzeier, who started in 2010 when he was 7 years old, and who got a speaking role in 2011 at the age of 8.
The family has participated every year since then, except in 2018 and 2020, when it was canceled due to the pandemic.
This year, Clyde Grazeier, who is now 18 and a freshman at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, will be returning home for the weekend to continue the tradition of the family walking to the cemetery.
“We love doing it and volunteering together as a family,” Blankenship said. “What could be more fun with the family than a weekend at the cemetery?”
She said her son played children or teenagers whose lives were cut short far too soon. This year, he will play John Cahalan, who was 19 when he died.
Blankenship said this year her husband will play former Wyandotte mayor Charles Marr, while she will play first lady Tessie Sullivan Marr.
“It’s a big event, and we’re always happy to be a part of it,” she said. “This year should be a lot of fun.”
The first pageant and city council member Kelly Stec will play one of her ancestors, Magdalena (née Tomczak) Biniarz.
“She’s a relative of mine, so I was able to do a combination of searching the internet and talking to the family about her life and her family,” she said. “I learned a lot about family history.
Stec said she looks forward to engaging with the city and the museum in this new way.
“When I was in high school, I volunteered as a costumed character for Mad Hatter Tea for the Historical Society, and I’m very happy to do this type of work again,” she said. “I am impressed by the incredible dedication of the museum staff and volunteers, and the hard work they put into making this a success.”
Another first-time re-teacher and city council member Rose Shuryan said she would play Mary Ford Bacon, a role she sought with the help of staff at the Bacon Memorial Library.
“I’m really looking forward to talking about how we got the Bacon home as a library,” she said. “Initially, the city and the school board resisted the donation of the house.
Shuryan said she was thrilled to represent a historical person who has been instrumental in the library and the history of the city.
“I am honored to tell the story of a generous woman who cares about literacy,” she said.
The Historic Cemetery Walk runs October 15-16, starting at 6:20 p.m. and in 20-minute intervals until 8 p.m., departing from the Ford-MacNichol House, 2610 Biddle Avenue, Wyandotte.
Tickets are $ 22 and are available in person, cash or check only, at the historic Burns House, 2624 Biddle.
Wearing a mask is compulsory inside the museum buildings and in the shuttle.
For more information, call the museum office at 734-324-7284, email [email protected], or visit Wyandotte.net/art_and_culture.museums.
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