CACHE: Parking at Dawn Memorial, where there's another cache. Cemetery rules apply. Small ditch by cache.
HISTORY: Located here in the section of woods is Maple Grove Cemetery. If you've ever wondered why Dawn Memorial hasn't expanded into the trees here's the reason why. Dawn Memorial was established in 1963 as a commercial cemetery, and Maple Grove is township land. The date this cemetery was started is March 15, 1856, and it appeared on maps as late as 1936. The story goes a nearby farmer got his tractor stuck in the field so he used the headstones to get it unstuck and never returned them. The farmer and the location of his field is not known either, but if you live in the area and your yard grows a headstone, it might belong here.
Several sources say there could be as many as 40 graves, and these would include family members of a former governor, John Treadway Rich, who grew up just south of the cemetery. He and his family owned the Twin Evergreen Farm on both sides of the road, some of which Dawn Memorial occupies today. Only one house from their farms remain, today it sits vacant. He also owned a home in the City of Lapeer, 707 N. Calhoun Street, which is on the Michigan historic registry. John T. Rich also attended the Red one room school, that was located just north of here (there's a cache). The Governor's mother was a Treadway and there's at least 3 known Treadways buried here.
Information from an online burial site:
Thankful, surname unknown, parital stone found in the woods.
Andrew Treadway 7 April 1856-13 March 1864, died probably of diphtheria.
John Treadway 11 April 1861-5 March 1864
Thomas Treadway 2 March 1859-26 February 1864, twin to Polly Treadway.
--All 3 children of Joseph and Mary Reeser Treadway.