Sprague Cemetery

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White Lake Drive and North Whitehall Road

Sec. 36, T12N, R17W

 

History

Only two lonely stone markers today indicate what was once a small but busy stop on the Petoskey (State) Road and a settlement that today is known either as Sprague’s corners or Wheat. The place as first called Sweet’s Settlement after a man purported to be the first settler. The first settlers planted wheat and thought it would be a thriving community but the sand was not good farm land and the settlers moved on to Whitehall.

Near fox Lake on the northeast corner of the bend of the gravel road one mile south of Three Lakes Tavern stood the settlement school. On a little hill just west of Sprague’s corner was the community cemetery, near the hotel. There was also a blacksmith shop, a store, the combination school and church and of course, the stage coach stop. Estimates of the number of graves in the cemetery vary from "a few" to approximately 60. Several Indians were buried in the southwest half of the cemetery and it also boasts a Civil War veteran, Amasa Trowbridge who died in 1882; his is one of the two remaining stones. The other is that of a. P. Lanphar, 65 years..3 months..Died March 6, 1872. A baby girl of Samuel and Caroline Broner died ca 1865-70 and is buried there, also. Later, some graves were moved because the cemetery was located in the midst of "blow" sand.

There is also a "lost" cemetery. Reference was made to it in 1921 when a group of Boy Scouts located it. There were half a dozen graves that were marked and it had a fence around it. In 1925 a Scout leader, Russell Shuler, also located it. A description was given "North of the road which passes the other cemetery, and south of the fence line which is 1⁄2 mile north of this road and which is on the edge of the woods. The cemetery is in the midst of a dense woods and is approximately south of the old Hickey house, being about on a line between this house and the point where an old wagon trail which runs diagonally northwest and southeast from US31 to the section line road on which the other cemetery is situated."

Material obtained from the Boy Scout publication contributed by Dan Morehouse and material from the white Lake Area Historical society publication contributed by Mrs. Frank Witte.

 

For photos see www.findagrave.com.

LAST NAME  FIRST NAME  Misc. Born Died
Broner baby girl      
Griffith Rev.      
Lanphar A.P.      
Trowbridge Amasa Co G 3 Reft Mich Inf  1836 1880