Posts Tagged ‘Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery’
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 [...]
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 crowd? Our best estimate is that 1,500 people attended. We sold about 900 advance tickets and between three and four hundred tickets at the gates. Kids under twelve and volunteers got in free. Many who attended said that, although they had driven past the cemetery hundreds of times, this was the first time they”'d stopped into the grounds. Many also told us that they had no idea how much history could be learned there. One of the big hits of the day was the smartphone history hunt which enabled people to use their phones to learn more about 25 of the people buried in the cemetery. Kids had their own history hunt and could get their [...]
“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 National Preservation Month, a time when preservationists and their supporters call attention to efforts to save the nation”'s historic treasures. One of those national treasures is right here in Phillips Community Grand Opening of the Restored Main Gate “Hinges” on contributions On Tuesday, May 17th, about 60 people attended the unveiling of Phase I of the restoration of the cemetery”'s gates and the 13 sections of the fence that were in the worst condition. The weather was glorious, the tulips were in full bloom, and even the dandelions looked festive. A lime-green dune buggy buzzed around one of the [...]
