New Local Heritage Exhibit Features Map of Cemetery from the 1860s

The local heritage exhibit "Goodison . . . Our History Centers on the Mill" opens at the Paint Creek Cider Mill on Saturday. Among the many artifacts to be displayed is a sheep-skin map of the Paint Creek Cemetery from the 1860s. Once referred to as the Baldwin Burial Ground, the cemetery is the final resting place for many members of Oakland Township's pioneer families.

In the 1820s, settlers from Monroe County, New York, arrived in what would become Oakland Township. Those early pioneers included Needham Hemingway, who built a grist mill on Paint Creek, Asa Barker, Benedict Baldwin and Cornelius Tower. As noted in , all four men were married to daughters Lydia Barnes Potter, considered by many to be a Revolutionary War patriot for her work in sewing clothing for soldiers on the front lines.

Potter was born in 1757 in Hartford, Connecticut. When her husband, Lemuel, died in 1826, Potter moved to Goodison to live with her daughter, Merilla Hemingway. She died in 1836 and was buried at the Paint Creek Cemetery.

According to a state historical marker at the cemetery, Potter’s gravestone is the oldest in the cemetery. In 1911, the Daughters of the American Revolution honored her with a plaque at her grave recognizing her work in making uniforms during the Revolutionary War. The organization named a chapter for Potter in 2002.

On Sept. 17, 2011, the Lydia Barnes Potter chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution awarded a historic preservation award to the Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society for its communitywide work in preservation.

Opening Night Reception & Exhibit

A special opening night reception for the exhibit will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The program will feature Bob Lytle, local author and owner of Lytle’s Pharmacy in downtown Rochester, reading his new poem about Goodison.

Attendees will also be treated to a special Paint Creek Cider Mill dessert created by Colin Brown, executive chef of the Royal Park Hotel, and have the opportunity to purchase a painting of the Paint Creek Cider Mill and Goodison by artist Gerry Schuchard. Money from the sale of the painting will benefit the Oakland Township Historical Society.

A limited number of tickets are available for $10 per person and can be purchased by calling the historical society at 248-693-8660.

“Goodison . . . Our History Centers on the Mill” is free and open to the public beginning Saturday. Though the exhibit runs through Dec. 3, many of the smaller memorabilia items will be on display opening weekend only and will be removed from the exhibit after Sunday.

The weekend will also include guided tours of Goodison. If you’d like to help volunteer to guide a walking tour, contact the Oakland Township Historical Society online at at 248-693-8660 or online at www.oaklandtownshiphistoricalsociety.org.