Livonia's Historic Cemeteries

President Dave Stechholz opened the meeting, and Greg Greene gave the Inspirational Invocation.

Pres. Dave had members sing Happy Birthday to “Us” in honor of the 120th birthday of the beginning of Rotary. The group was reminded that February is Peace Building and Conflict Prevention Month for Rotary.

Pres. Dave announced that the Livonia AM Rotary Club has been invited to present a 45 minute break-out presentation on “Collaborative Club Projects” at the District 6400 Assembly on April 26th, 2025, at St. Claire College in Windsor. Details will be provided closer to the presentation date.

Club members will be voting on the two prospective candidates for District Governor next week and are reminded to review both candidates’ credentials that are available online.

There is no new information on the development of Interact Clubs at Clarenceville and Stevenson High School or a Rotaract Club at Schoolcraft College. However, the discussion is ongoing, and a Zoom meeting is planned for February 24th that will focus on forming a Rotaract Group at Schoolcraft.

At least seven members from the Livonia AM Rotary Club will be attending the 2025 Livonia Westland Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership and Awards Celebration Dinner on Tuesday, February 25th, at 5:00 PM, located at the Italian American Banquet Center. Just for fun, eight members will be participating in Westland Rotary’s Club Trivia Night fundraiser at Joy Manor on Friday, February 28th.

Several other important and interesting events are on the calendar, so check out the club’s website and newsletter. Everyone, mark your calendars for this year’s Installation Party that will take place on June 14th at Tammy Bonifield’s cottage on the lake. We are so fortunate to have Rotarian Tammy provide such a lovely setting for this event.

Today’s speaker was local historian Kathy Bilger. Kathy shared general information on the history of four cemeteries located in Livonia but focused on one cemetery in particular: the Briggs Union Cemetery, also known as the Union Society of Livonia Burial Ground. Located at 6 Mile and Interstate 275, this 1/2 acre cemetery has no historical markers or signage. Kathy spoke about the events leading up to the establishment of the Briggs Cemetery that began in the state of New York over 200 years ago. It was the Quakers that came from the East and settled first in Farmington in 1824 and then settled in the area known as Livonia in 1874. In between that time, the Quakers established the Anti-Slavery Society and were involved in the Underground Railway. The Michigan by-laws that governed the Anti-Slavery Society were groundbreaking for the times, as they proclaimed that men and women were equal. The cemetery was established in 1832 and does not contain any Civil War graves. In 1852, the Trinity Building, which still stands and now serves as a venue for artistic performances, was built as a community meeting house that was open to serve all religious, intellectual, and public purposes.

Thank you, Kathy, for giving us a peek into the history of Livonia’s cemeteries.

Victoria Haltom