‘Tales from Pioneers & Soldiers Cemetery’ Archives
Deaths of entire family grieves Cora Stickney Deaths of husband and three children within 15 years grieved Cora Stickney greatly highlighted by 80 day vigil of daughter’s “trance”
By Sue Hunter Weir It wasn’t often that the death of someone buried in Layman’s Cemetery was reported in the New York Times, but the story of Cora Stickney’s burial was a most unusual, almost gothic, tale. Cora was the daughter of John H. and Ann Stickney; her parents were transplanted New Englanders, who moved to Minnesota shortly [...]
Potter’s Field Tales no less rich and fascinating! Generosity doesn’t tell it all!
By Sue Hunter Weir There are 350 people buried in the cemetery’s Potters Field whose remains were used as research subjects in anatomy courses at the University of Minnesota during the years 1914-1916. They were, to the say the least, a colorful lot: homeless men, prison inmates, men who were both the instigators and victims of crime. [...]
Bra·vo! Bra·vo! Bra·vis·si·mo!
By Sue Hunter Weir It was an event like no other in Minneapolis. As far as we know the concert on October 8th was the first rock concert ever held in a Minneapolis cemetery. And, what a concert it was! It was one of those days when everything came together: beautiful weather, fantastic music and a wonderful, wonderful crowd. How big was the [...]
It’s the “The Cat’s Meow”– Jeremy Messersmith in Concert on “Graveyard Stage” at Cedar and Lake
By Sue Hunter Weir We are honored to have Jeremy Messersmith on the “Graveyard Stage” preceeded by Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles perform as part of a Cemetery Open House Gate Saturday, October 8th in conjunction with the Partners in Preservation Voting. Ticket sale proceeds will be used to continue our 1,853 foot fence restoration [...]
Amusement, Medical Innovation, and Transit Allied for Success
By Sue Hunter Weir The story of the Wonderland babies is as much of a crowd pleaser today as it was when Wonderland Park was in operation between 1905 and 1912. When Wonderland opened its gates in 1905, it was not just a big news story—it was a huge story. It wasn’t just that having a modern amusement park was important to the city’s [...]
“White Bronze” Monument claimed to “Bridge” centuries
by Sue Hunter Weir-83rd in a Series When Sylvester Cook needed to buy a headstone for his wife, Mary, he wanted one that was beautiful and that would last. He took the somewhat unusual step of ordering a marker for her from the Monumental Brass Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Despite the company’s name, the marker he bought isn’t made [...]
Ironic Tragedy! Mourners and Mortician infected by small pox diseased corpse
Almost all cemetery stories are sad, but some are far sadder than others. On May 30th, 2011 at the 142st Memorial Day Celebration Memorial Day at Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery, Lu Jacobson came to pay her respects to several members of her family. She came with flowers, most likely the first flowers that her relatives had received in nearly [...]
“Hats Off” as Honors are Given
May 19, 2011, marked the perfect ending to a perfect week for Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery—the kind of week that comes around once every 83 years. It was a week in which we celebrated the history of Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial (formerly Layman’s) Cemetery while making a little history of our own. May is [...]
Upcoming events at the Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery
Unveiling of Restored Grand Entrance Gate of Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery May 17th 3 PM The Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery’s restored front gate and first of other sections will be commemorated with an unveiling on Tuesday, May 17, 2011, at 3 p.m. Join Mpls. Council Member Gary Schiff, friends and family members of those buried in the [...]
Asa Clark Brown-Sawyer, Carpenter, and Veteran from the War of 1812 Seven children and three grandchildren served in Civil War Union Army
By Sue Hunter Weir The War of 1812 is one of those subjects that most of us studied in high school but would be hard pressed to explain to anyone else. Part of the reason is that it was less of a war than a series of skirmishes that ranged from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico. We might remember that the British burned the White House, [...]
