“Veterans of Lakeview” Tours Connect Preservation, Service and Local History

This September, the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society will return to Lakeview Cemetery for a new series of walking tours highlighting local veterans and the monuments that preserve their stories.

For Historical Society Curator Beth Wemigwase, however, the work behind the tours begins well before visitors arrive at the cemetery. 

To prepare for each tour, Wemigwase researches the lives of the individuals whose graves will be featured, drawing from military records, newspapers, photographs and other historical sources. She also spends time in the cemetery documenting and, when appropriate, carefully cleaning the headstones that will become stops along the tour.

“For me, cemeteries have always carried a sense of importance and respect,” Wemigwase said. “As I learned more about the meaning behind different grave markers and symbols and then learned how to safely clean and care for historic stones, that feeling only grew. Cemeteries are incredible sources of local history. The people buried there helped shape our community, and caring for their monuments while sharing their stories feels like a meaningful way to honor that history.”

Wemigwase first began cleaning headstones while preparing for themed cemetery tours in 2023 and has since received training in appropriate cemetery preservation and cleaning methods. Removing biological growth and staining can make inscriptions and decorative details easier to see, but cleaning historic stone requires care and knowledge.

Cemetery monuments should only be cleaned by professionals or those who have received appropriate training. Household cleaners such as bleach, along with wire brushes, harsh bristle brushes and other abrasive tools, can permanently damage historic stone. Marble and other soft or deteriorating stones are particularly vulnerable, and even well-intentioned cleaning can cause irreversible damage. “Sometimes the best thing to do with a historic headstone is to photograph it, document it with notes about its condition, and then leave it alone,” Wemigwase stated.

This year, that preservation work has taken on additional meaning as Wemigwase prepares “Veterans of Lakeview: Stories of Service,” a tour devoted to Harbor Springs residents who served their country.

“Preparing for this year’s tour has felt especially meaningful,” Wemigwase said. “There is a sense of duty that comes with researching these men and women and then spending time caring for their headstones. As I clean, I find myself thinking about the person whose name is in front of me, what they experienced and the life they returned to—or, in some cases, the life they never had the chance to return to. It feels like a small way to honor their service while making sure their stories continue to be told.”

For Wemigwase, the work brings together two important parts of the Historical Society’s mission: sharing the stories of the people who shaped Harbor Springs and encouraging stewardship of the cultural resources that preserve those stories.

On both Saturday, September 19 and Saturday, October 10, Wemigwase will lead 90-minute walking tours of Lakeview Cemetery at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Each tour will visit the graves of around ten local veterans, exploring their military service as well as their lives before and after their time in uniform and their connections to the Harbor Springs area.

Featured stops will include members of Company K who served during the Civil War and Stanley Hoover, one of two Harbor Springs soldiers killed in action during World War I. Participants will also learn to look more closely at military gravestones and memorials and the symbols, inscriptions and markers that can reveal details about a veteran’s service.

Tickets are $15 per person, and advance registration is encouraged. There are limited spaces available at each tour time. Participants can register here or call 231-526-9771.

The Historical Society is grateful to the Lakeview Cemetery Board, Cemetery Manager Gunnar Brainerd and his assistant Johny Peters for their continued support and for allowing the Society to offer educational programs and walking tours at Lakeview.

Each cleaned stone and uncovered story is another connection between Harbor Springs’ past and present. Through these tours, the Historical Society hopes to honor those who served while encouraging the community to see Lakeview Cemetery as an important historical resource worthy of continued care.