‘Tales from Pioneers & Soldiers Cemetery’ Archives
Gettysburg infantryman, James Francis Towner, Remembered and Honored 147 years later
By Sue Hunter Weir In April 1932, members of the Minneapolis Cemetery Protective Association (MCPA) ordered a military marker for James F. Tower, a man they believed to have been a Civil War vet. When the marker arrived they had it set on the grave of a man named John K. Tower where it has been ever since. No one, it seems, noticed that the first name on the marker was James, not John. Private James Francis Towner (not Tower), the man that the MCPA thought that they were honoring, has been buried in an unmarked grave in a different section of the cemetery since 1865. Private James Francis Towner was a veteran of Company K 1st Minnesota Infantry; he was mustered in at Fort Snelling on April 29, 1861. James Towner was one of the 215 (out of 265) men from the 1st Minnesota who were wounded at Gettysburg in July 1863. The inscription on the 1st Minnesota”'s monument at Gettysburg sums up the vital contribution that these men made to the Union cause: “In self sacrificing [...]
You Matter
Stone columns being built in 1928 By Sue Hunter Weir A cemetery seems like an odd place to be talking about building a healthy community since it”'s where most of us will wind up when our health ultimately and inevitably fails. But cemeteries are about more than our physical selves, they are about the legacy that we leave to others and that others have given to us. They are about stories; they are about community. Nation Builders. Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is a place of national, not just local, significance. Part of the designation recognizes the cemetery”'s architectural features, but another part, perhaps the most important part, recognizes the role that the people who are buried here in the Phillips community played in both our local and national history. They are not people whose names are household words, yet they are recognized as nation builders. “”¦who is [...]
The 144th Memorial Day of Veterans at Pioneers and Soldier”'s Cemetery
Photos & story By Harvey Winje On May 28, 2012, Americans across the world honored the women and men who have served in the military. It is a tradition that goes back to 1868 when General Logan issued his General Order #11 which set aside one day a year for remembrance of veterans. At Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery, we have other reasons to be grateful to the veterans and their families and friends. They are the people who, more than any others, are the reason that the cemetery exists today. After the City Council voted to close the cemetery to future burials in 1919, the remains of approximately 6,000 to 7,000 people, including many veterans, were moved to other cemeteries. But there were some families who refused to have their loved ones moved, and families of veterans were among the most vocal in their opposition. On a beautiful May morning the Minnesota Chapter of the U.S. Daughters of 1812 led the honoring of all veterans of the [...]
