Posts Tagged ‘Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery’
Cemetery Events Summer ’22
Summer Events at Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery Photo courtesy of TIM MCCALL Check the Friends of the Cemetery Facebook page for more events in the summer and later in the fall. Want a tour but don't see one that works? Contact Sue Hunter Weir at s-hunt1@umn.edu to talk about setting one up. Open Streets East Lake Street Saturday, August 13, 11 AM-4:30 PM Stop by and play old-fashioned games (there will be prizes for the kids), take a self-guided smartphone tour, and talk with volunteers. Murder, Mayhem and More (sponsored by Preserve Minneapolis) Sunday, August 21, Tours at 10 AM and 1 PM 10 AM: Tour will cover the southeast quadrant of the cemetery which includes many of the oldest graves, as well as the grave of our most notorious criminal, and those of notable territorial pioneers. 1 PM: Tour will cover the southwest quadrant of the cemetery, including the grave of William Goodridge, a pre-Civil War conductor on the Underground Railroad, [...]
Memorial Day 2022
The Tradition Continues By SUE HUNTER WEIR After a two-year hiatus, Memorial Day will be observed in Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery (corner of Cedar Avenue and Lake Street). The program begins at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 30th. Highlights include music by the Seward Community Concert Band (they begin playing about 9:40). Our keynote speaker is Milt Schoen, Vice Commander of American Legion Post #1. This event is supported by numerous groups and organizations including students from the Minnesota Transition School, Scout Troop #1, and American Legion Post #1 and Team Rubicon. We have a limited number of chairs so if you are able to, please bring a lawn chair. We hope to see you there. At 1 p.m., there will be an hour-long presentation about the history of the cemetery. Guests will be seated for the talk but are welcome to explore the grounds before or after the program. All events are free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome.
22,000+ Rest, Undisturbed
Tales of Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery By SUE HUNTER WEIR In the cemetery’s early days, the cost of maintenance and repair was paid for voluntarily by the families of those buried there. By 1919, the cemetery was filled to capacity. Many families had moved away and some were simply too poor to continue to pay an annual maintenance fee. The cemetery fell into serious disrepair. On May 23, 1919, the Minneapolis City Council, at the request of some South Minneapolis residents and merchants, voted to close Layman’s Cemetery to further burials. The ordinance did not condemn the cemetery, which would have required the removal and relocation of more than 27,000 people. The ordinance simply stated that no burials would be allowed after August 1, 1919. Nonetheless, there were rumors that the cemetery had to be vacated and the remains of 5,000 to 6,000 people were removed. The deeds to the graves for those removals were returned to the Layman Land Trust, and became the property of [...]
