RIVERSIDE CEMETERY FENCE AND GATE

Recently there were metal gates installed to the two paved center entrances of Riverside Cemetery. The only two drives now open are the main entrance where the office is, and at the far unpaved south entrance by the gas company pumping station. If you want to go to the Veterans Memorial Stage or to the Catholic Section in back, you now have to use one of the aforementioned open entrances. Speak to your Albion city council person if you have an opinion about that.

This is not the first time the Cemetery has been gated, however. A century ago, there used to be a wooden fence which lined Riverside Cemetery along what is today M-99. It was painted white and probably required much maintenance. It did look nice, however. I haven't found a date when it was removed, but it was probably around the Great Depression period.

At the main entrance to the Cemetery leading to the office and the receiving vault were two decorative posts, with a globe on top of each, and a wire swinging gate attached to the north post. Above the posts was one of those decorative heavy wire overhead entrance arches, customary for cemeteries at the time. Many of our small rural cemeteries still have these, for example, the Wright Cemetery along M-99 east of Albion, and the Clarence Township Cemetery east of Duck Lake.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present two 1910 postcards. The first shows the entrance to the cemetery, once filled with majestic trees complete with foliage. Notice the two entrance posts, and the open gate attached to the left post. On both sides is the beautiful fence with its top cap. On the right is a tree upon which a sign has been placed. That sign text states in capital letters: "NOTICE, ALL PERSONS ARE FORBIDDEN TO PLUCK FLOWERS OR DISTURB OR INJURE PROPERTY ON THESE GROUNDS, UNDER PENALTY."

Our second photograph is a close-up of a similar view, but this one better shows the decorative overhead wire arch which used to adorn the entrance to our Cemetery. Unfortunately, the sign does not appear to state "RIVERSIDE" on it, unlike the custom at other cemeteries where such signs were installed. Our third photograph shows one of the new metal gates that were installed the last week of March. How many of our readers have visited Riverside Cemetery recently?

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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