Human Remains Uncovered: Kalamazoo's Westnedge Park Yields Secrets of Pioneer Cemetery

KALAMAZOO, MICH. — Throughout this week Kalamazoo public safety crews have been on watch near S. Westnedge Park, after an interesting turn took place at a construction site.

City Public Services crews working along Westnedge Avenue last Friday, discovered human remains in the street on Park Place, according to the city.

The history of this park is not hidden, but it's not common knowledge for what has been underground for almost 200 years.

"There was a cemetery there," said James Baker, City of Kalamazoo Public services director. "It's known as the Pioneer cemetery. It was in place from the 1830s through the 1860s and then in the 1880s it was converted to a park."

The cemetery even has a historical landmark hidden within some bushes; it goes into detail of what happened here.

According to Paranormal Investigator and former Kalamazoo resident Nicole DuShane, it was decided to move the cemetery after three plus decades.

It wasn't too much success as families were originally offered free burials, but an able to afford to move their bodies.

"Unfortunately, there was a lot of people who either could not come up with that money, or they could not get a hold of the descendants. Which, in turn, left a couple of 100 people left behind." Dushane said.

Some residents in the area were confused that something like this could happen to a childhood favorite spot.

"I played here as a kid," said Giiwedin Shawandase, a resident of Kalamazoo. "I grew up on Potter Street, so I like coming around here and seeing the place where I threw a ball with my mom. I'm like, wow, you know, it's crazy."

But the question is how can something like this happen? Officials say it can happen when doing construction near cemeteries like this.

And because of the old age of the cemetery, the plotting might night be extremely accurate.

"Oftentimes smaller roadways, like Park Place, that might have been like a dirt trail. The cemetery might have occupied a little bit beyond itself on the property line." Baker said.

Dushane hopes the legacy of the dead can be honored and respected.

"When you think about it, it is really sad," said Dushane. "There are probably about 325 people whose final resting place can get disturbed at any point."

The site will continue to have 24-hour surveillance through Friday, as state and West Michigan University archaeologists test their soils.