Storage for the Dead: Mackinaw City, Michigan
This charming stone building just west of Mackinaw City is located in the Lakeview Cemetery. Driving by, one would assume it’s a utility shed. Well, yeah, kind of, during warm weather. But during the winter time, it’s used for a different kind of storage.
With sub-zero temperatures freezing everything, this stone structure is used as a vault to store the dead until warmer weather prevails, thawing the ground so the bodies can be buried.
Stone structures in Mackinaw City are not as prevalent as they are on Mackinac Island. One other is the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, built in 1892. It sits just east of I-75 with a good view of the Mackinac Bridge. Among the many on Mackinac Island are Fort Mackinac – including the Officers' Stone Quarters - and Fort Holmes.
Why were these structures built in stone?
Although most structures were made of wood, some chose to build with limestone, of which there is an overabundance on the island. Plus, the stone was more durable – the fort used it to its advantage against attacks.
Many of the area’s stone buildings have stood the test of time throughout the centuries...which brings us back to the aura of interest on the “Mackinaw Morgue” in Lakeview Cemetery. A rare stone building in Mackinaw City for sure, but the stone keeps the figures inside colder just a little longer until it’s a good time for burials.