GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY, Mich. (WPBN/WGTU) — Oakwood Cemetery, the resting place of at least 30,000 individuals, including many notable figures from Traverse City’s history, is undergoing a significant transformation to make it more accessible to visitors.
The cemetery, which dates back to the mid-1800s, has a complex layout that often confounds first-time visitors.
Michelle Hunt, the Grand Traverse Parks and Recreation Superintendent, said, “It’s Traverse City’s history and you have people that you meet all over town and they know someone who’s buried here.”
The project, initiated in December 2023, aims to modernize the cemetery’s records and mapping system.
“The cemetery is special to pretty much everyone that has roots here And we just want to make it that much more accessible to people so very happy that we started this project,” said Hunt.
“Our staff does a wonderful job because they have the knowledge of it, but it’s important so that people know where their loved ones are buried and they’re able to find that information much more quickly,” said Hunt.
The project, which started in December of 2023 was to bring this cemetery’s records and mapping into the 21st century by not only identifying who is buried where, but also creating a user friendly electronic database that benefits visitors as well as cemetery employees
Hunt explained, “We have paper maps that are old, they’re hand-drawn. They’ve been scanned a million times and we determine where they are based on that information from the Word document.”
To address these challenges, the city has enlisted the Wightman Firm to create a digitized database and an accurate digital map of burial sites.
Hunt noted, “It’s an enormous amount of work. We will finish just these next three phases in 2026 and then we still have plat one and plat two and a couple other sections of the cemetery so we won’t be complete with this project until almost 2028.”
Once completed, the digital system will allow visitors to easily search for a grave by last name and receive coordinates to locate it.
Hunt said, “You’d be able to search the last name and it would take you to that plot and then you get coordinates and you can go walk to it.”
While the project is extensive and will take several years to complete, Hunt emphasized the importance of the effort, stating, “The cemetery is special to pretty much everyone that has roots here and we just want to make it that much more accessible to people.”
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