News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Thursday December 18th 2025
Cemetery: Flagpole cost $271.55, is still up 90 years later
Tales from
Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery
By Sue Hunter Weir
166th in a Series
The 1920s was the age of flappers and speakeasies, of dance marathons and flagpole-sitting contests. Â
The national mood was upbeat and there seemed to be enough money to do whatever needed to be done. While members of the recently formed Minneapolis Cemetery Protective Association (MCPA) would never have been mistaken for flappers or bootleggers, they had big plans and in 1928 they began their work in earnest.Â
Their plans included a flagpole.
In May 1927 the Minneapolis City Council had voted to issue $50,000 in bonds to be sold to buy out the remaining interests of Layman family members (the third generation of Minneapolis Layman family members) and to make some much-needed improvements. The grounds were a mess.In some places wooden coffins had disintegrated, creating large craters, and in other places dirt was mounded around the emptied graves of the approximately 5,000 people whose remains were disinterred and relocated to other cemeteries. Â
The cemetery needed a fence and the MCPA wanted to erect monuments that celebrated the achievements of some of the city”™s pioneers and soldiers.
Photo Tim McCall
Memorial Day keynote speaker Lt.
Steps towards peace: So what should we talk about?
By MARTI MALTBI
Photo by Mike Hazard
Each day that Peace House Community is open, we host a “meditation” for our guests, volunteers and community members. It isn”™t meditation in the traditional sense; we focus on one topic and discuss it as a group to help us understand each other and develop a great respect for the people and world around us. The discussions last 20 to 35 minutes, and it is one of the hallmarks of our community.
Sister Rose Tillemans founded PHC with the intention of giving a forum to marginalized women and men who were generally ignored by the larger society. She also wanted to promote relationships in a safe context, making individuals feel comfortable with exploring their own thoughts and feelings in a supportive setting.
Having been at PHC for a little over a year now, I”™ve come to respect Sister Rose”™s wisdom in weaving a deliberate time of reflection and sharing into her vision. The discussions have opened my eyes (and I know from speaking with others that they have had the same experience) to people and situations that I would otherwise have completely overlooked.
Among the topics we”™ve covered in the last 15 months have been:
Ӣ Tell us your name, why it was given to you and how you feel about it
Ӣ What is the happiest song you have ever heard
Ӣ What do people who have never been homeless need to know about being homeless
Ӣ How prepared are you to survive a natural disaster
Unfortunately, just reading these topics on the page doesn”™t do them justice.… Read the rest “Steps towards peace: So what should we talk about?”
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