The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Preserving history
Restoration group to continue efforts in Lodi
By Krystle Dunham, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: February 28, 2008
The winter weather may have put a halt for now to Peg Canham and Margaret O'Connor's efforts on a restoration project, but spirits are still high.
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Canham and O'Connor, members of the Lodi Township Historical Preservation Group, are hoping once spring arrives they can get back to work.
The small group is under the Saline Area Historical Society and was formed last February. Members have started efforts to preserve and restore the old Lodi Township Hall on Pleasant Lake Road and cleanup of the 1827 Lodi Cemetery at the corner of Textile and Ann-Arbor Saline roads.
Canham said the group has made great progress since last summer, but added, "We still have a long ways to go."
The idea of the project came together when both women's spouses died a few years ago.
O'Connor's husband, Gerald, an orthopedic surgeon and former head team physician for University of Michigan athletics, died in 2004 and is buried in Lodi Cemetery. The cemetery is located a few miles from O'Connor's Lodi Township farm.
Canham's husband, Donald, former athletic director at U of M for 20 years, died in 2005 and is buried not too far from O'Connor's grave.
The two women knew each other from U of M functions that they attended with their husbands, but it wasn't until they lost their spouses that a friendship developed. The Lodi Cemetery played a role in developing their friendship.
O'Connor first started researching the history of the Lodi Township Hall in 2003 and was able to get Canham on board with the cemetery project. However, after the death of her father, Canham decided to take a break. She has now been back to researching since 2006.
Since the group was formed, the black decorative fence around the Lodi Township Cemetery has been restored, as well as the mausoleum. Urns have been purchased and placed at entryways to the cemetery and three benches have been put installed.
The group plans to keep restoring headstones that have fallen over or have started to crack, trimming weeds and branches, putting up decorative plants and fences, and planting flowers.
Canham and O'Connor said the group also would like to install a gazebo toward the back of the cemetery.
"We are physically trying to make the cemetery beautiful again," Canham said. "We just want to see more people come and visit the cemetery."
Canham said she would also like to see the cemetery on the historic registry someday.
While Canham is currently compiling historical data on the cemetery and those who are buried there, O'Connor is continuing her research on the township and its beginnings.
O'Connor said she is concerned about the Lodi Township Hall and if nothing is done to fix the building soon, she believes it will fall down.
Lodi Township Hall was built in 1867 and is the third oldest township hall in the state of Michigan. The building still stands on its original one-eighth acre of land at the corner of Pleasant Lake and Zeeb roads, which is at the boundary of a privately owned farm.
Since 1867, the town hall has experienced deterioration from weather exposure and pressure from the shifted walls and foundation.
The building also has no plumbing and a few windows are in need of repair.
Currently, the township doesn't have the funds to restore the building. Canham said the group held a couple of open houses this past summer to raise money for the restoration project and was able to raise $15,000. However, the group needs $60,000 to start restoration.
O'Connor said the Lodi Township Board will further discuss and decide the use of the township hall in the spring.
The preservation group is also "hoping to buy and lease land around the area of the town hall," O'Connor said.
Both women hope to hold a number of fund-raisers this year to generate enough money to begin restoration of the town hall. The group also hopes to find more information about the families in Lodi Township.
Canham and O'Connor plan on holding a meeting in March to discuss future plans for the summer.
For those interested in getting involved with the restoration project, contact Canham at 944-2922 or O'Connor at 663-1327.
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