from the series Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery…
Number 227
By SUE HUNTER WEIR
Cemetery Fence Restoration
If you’ve driven, walked or pedaled down Lake Street during the past two months, you’ve probably noticed a lot of activity in the Cemetery. The initiative to restore the cemetery’s 1928 fence began in 2009. It took several years to raise the funds and then Covid intervened, delaying the work. But we’re almost there. The fence should be fully restored this fall.That’s only one of many (some might say amazing) things that have happened in the Cemetery this year.
Exhibit
Beginning October 19th, the Hennepin History Museum 2303 3rd Avenue South will be hosting an exhibit about the Cemetery titled In Memorium: Residents of Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery. The exhibit answers the same question that we’ve been addressing in the alley stories for more than 20 years now—who we choose to remember and who we choose to forget. The opening is scheduled for Saturday, October 19th from 3 to 5 p.m. Opening remarks will begin at three and after a short program, guests are invited to visit the gallery and to join us for light refreshments.
Nomination
And…there is more big news…the Cemetery has been nominated for listing on the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. If approved (and that seems very likely), we will be only the second site of Minnesota to be awarded this honor. The final decision will be made in the next few weeks.
Although we haven’t received the final word yet, we are optimistic. The nomination is a strong one. William Goodridge, who is buried in the Cemetery, and who ran the Underground Railroad between York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before the Civil War is a figure of national as well as local importance. Others who have received less attention up until now include Hester Paterson who fled from a plantation in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1863. With the help of William Huntington Leonard, surgeon for Company D of the 5th Minnesota Infantry, she found her way to Minneapolis. Woodford Anderson, escaped from service in the Confederate Army and joined up with Company D or the 17th U.S. Colored Troops. Others mentioned in the application, as well, and you can expect to read more about them in future articles in the alley newspaper.
All African-American Burials to be Identified
One project that grew out of that nomination is an effort to identify all of the African-Americans who are buried in the Cemetery. It’s not an easy task since information is often spotty, contradictory or sometimes wildly inaccurate. We’re not done yet but one of the things that is emerging is a clear picture of a network of African-Americans who took care of each other when compassion and care were called for. In the process, we’ve discovered two more African-American Civil War veterans who are eligible for military markers. Watch for those next spring.
Cemetery Closes for Winter
The geese have made their annual visit which means that the Cemetery will be closing for the season soon. The last day will be October 15th. Before then we have two more tours (we’ve already done seven this year). Students from Transition Plus, a program of Minneapolis Public Schools will be coming in to take some marker rubbings. And on October 12th, Rethos (formerly the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota) will be hosting a class on marker restoration and preservation for the Minneapolis Chapter of Wounded Warriors. In August, Rethos used the Cemetery’s garage, which was much in need of new paint, as a “classroom” for a course on Exterior Painting and Preparation.
The geese will leave soon and our work continues. Winter gives us time for doing research and planning next year’s activities. Next year marks the Cemetery’s 182nd Anniversary and there’s still a lot of work to be done.
Sue Hunter Weir is chair of Friends of the Cemetery, an organization dedicated to preserving and maintaining Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery. She has lived in Phillips for almost 50 years and loves living in such a historic community.
