Lakeside Cemetery (Port Huron, Michigan)

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Lakeside Cemetery (Port Huron, Michigan)

Lakeside Cemetery in Port Huron was established in 1877 when the city bought land from local resident John Hoffman. It started at 148 acres, expanded to 176 acres by 1900, and today covers 96.5 acres.

The cemetery includes a Soldiers Lot (lots 144–159) donated by the U.S. Government in 1881. The remains of 135 soldiers from Fort Gratiot were buried there, but today only 35 remains are known. Fort Gratiot had two historical military installations along the St. Clair River about two miles south of the cemetery.

In 1884, the U.S. government dedicated a monument in the Soldiers Lot to honor 100 unknown soldiers from Fort Gratiot. The monument, built by Philo Truesdell of Port Huron Marble and Granite Works, features a marble statue of a Union Civil War soldier atop a 24-foot column and cost $1,500.

The Soldiers Lot is overseen by the Great Lakes National Cemetery organization.