His uncle is buried in a long-neglected Black cemetery. Soon, he could lay flowers on the grave.

YPSILANTI TWP., MI — Some years back, Randall Luten picked up his late cousin in Inkster and took her to Woodlawn Cemetery in Ypsilanti Township

“This is where your daddy is buried,” Luten, 77, a resident of the township, told her.

But the historic Black cemetery, the only one known in Washtenaw County, had been unmaintained since 1965 . Trees and vegetation grew up. Many gravestones were buried.

The cemetery, at 7800 S. Huron River Drive, was established in 1946. During a time when other cemeteries refused people of color, Pastor Garther Roberson of Ypsilanti’s Second Baptist Church purchased a plot of land and founded the cemetery.

A restoration effort has been underway since May. November was a game changer.

Donating their services free of charge, geophysicists with Terracon Cons