Terhune Pioneer Memorial Park

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Overview

Terhune Pioneer Memorial Park is a small cemetery and memorial, just north of Packard Road near US-23 in southeast Ann Arbor. View the Ann Arbor Parks and Nature Areas Map​ for location context. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Washtenaw County. It has three gravestones and no bodies. Contained within is the Terhune Pioneer Memorial, which includes some of the original gravestones moved from the old Terhune Burying Ground. The Terhune Burying Ground was the cemetery plot set aside by Luke Whitmore in 1825 after his daughter of 18 years died and there was no local cemetery available. A total of 21 people had a connection to the original cemetery, which went into disrepair and then was developed over. The current memorial, preserving the gravestones of Revolutionary War heroes, was made possible by the efforts of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Access to the site requires climbing a set of stairs.​​

Park Notices

Unless otherwise posted per City Council resolution, when a park is closed, no person shall remain in or enter it other than to quietly sit or walk.​

Refer to Chapter 39 of the City of Ann Arbor Code of Ordinances for park regulations and rules.

Park Hours

6 a.m. – Midnight

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Access and Parking

Street parking is available on Terhune Road at the park's main entrance.

The park is accessible on foot and by bicycle using the neighborhood streets. Nearby Packard Road has bike lanes and sidewalks. There are no bike racks at the park.​

Public Transportation

There are bus stops on both sides of Packard Road that are near the park. The closest stop is about a two minute walk. Visit TheRide​ for closest stops and route details or check out the parks ride guide​​.


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History​​​

Ann Arbor's city parks sit on the ancestral and traditional homelands​ of several indigenous Native peoples. Read a land acknow​ledgement​ from the city and learn more a​bout the early history of the land here.​​

The Terhune Memorial contains the gravestones of John Terhune, Sarah Vreeland Terhune, and Emily Whitmore. The stones were moved to this location from the cemetery at the corner of Packard and Burton Roads by the Daughters of the American Revolution in the 1920s after the original burial site had fallen into disrepair. At that time the remains were irreclaimable and no attempt was made to move them.

Ensign John Terhune volunteered in the Continental Army in 1776 at age 17. He served under General George Washington during the difficult New Jersey campaign including the successful sur​prise attack on the Hessians at Trenton. At the age of 15, Sarah Vreeland walked under cover of night nine miles from her father's farm to Newark to warn the American Patriots of the formidable presence of British and Hessian troops gathered near Hackensack. In delivering her message she met Terhune, then a private, who was on duty in General Washington's Camp at the time. They were later married and moved to Michigan Territory in 1831.

Read a​ winter 2015 article by the Ypsilanti Historical Society about ​Terhune Pioneer Memorial Park​​

Park Adopters


The Sarah Caswell Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, who preserved the historic gravestones in the memorial in the 1920s, continue to care for the park. Recently, they have had multiple volunteer days cleaning up and scrubbing the gravestones in the memorial.



If you are looking to get involved and volunteer, contact Adopt-a-Park at [email protected] or call 734-794-6445.
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