What And Where

What was the Riverside Cemetery and where was it located?

In 1872, though many burials predate this time, Oakwood Cemetery was officially incorporated as a cemetery. Even though it was outside of the Lowell Village limits, it was considered the Village cemetery. With time, a second cemetery for the Village was desired to offer more burial spaces. In August of 1893 Lowell Township purchased 13 acres from Frank White to be used for a cemetery. By October, the Riverside Cemetery had been platted and the plots were ready for sale.

Riverside Cemetery was located on today’s Bowes Road, in the area of the Lowell Township Park and land owned by Grand Rapids Gravel Company. With Oakwood Cemetery located on the Northeastern side of Lowell, Riverside seemed perfectly situated on the Southwestern side, again, just outside of the village.

The new cemetery was described as being “artistically laid out in a beautiful plan that would be a credit to Lowell.” It had a long driveway that wound its way to the burial sites.

Unfortunately, the cemetery didn’t prove to be popular with the residents. After ten years, there had only been 14 interments
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In October of 1903, Lowell Township purchased five acres from Rowland Ryder, whose land was just north of the Oakwood cemetery. This made it possible to close the Riverside Cemetery. New graves were offered for those already buried at Riverside Cemetery, but it was up to the friends or family of the deceased to make the arrangements. It was announced that the vacated cemetery would then be sold.

On December 10, 1904, the Grand Rapids papers announced that the cemetery had been sold to John Bergin, Lowell businessman. The Board of Health of Lowell sold the site as it was, which was said to include a few remaining burials and monuments. Fourteen transfers to Oakwood from Riverside are documented, most are recorded after Bergin purchased the former cemetery. Bergin intended to farm the property and was building a basement barn.

Oakwood cemetery continues to be the final resting place for Lowell residents today.