YPSILANTI TWP., MI — An effort to restore Washtenaw County’s only known historic Black cemetery took a huge leap forward in November.

Geophysicists with Terracon Consulting, an engineering firm with locations across the country, scoured the grounds at Woodlawn Cemetery , 7800 S. Huron River Drive, in Ypsilanti Township with ground-penetrating radar free of charge. The goal was to detect the locations of as many gravesites there as possible, and they believe they found 160.

A major restoration effort has been underway since May, with hundreds of volunteers and multiple local institutions involved.

Woodlawn Cemetery was left unmaintained starting in 1965. Trees and vegetation grew up. Many gravestones were buried or damaged.

The cemetery was established in 1946. During a time when othe

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