Preserving the past one building, site at a time

Historic plaque
These plaques spell out the official historic designation of the cemetery, founded in 1853. It was known originally as Layman's.
MPR Photo/Sam Choo

Recently Tom Crann paid a visit to the Pioneer and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery in Minneapolis. It's the city's oldest cemetery. The memorial site was established in 1853, five years before Minnesota became a state.

The site is in the midst of the East Phillips neighborhood on the corner of East Lake Street at Cedar Avenue. A busy bus stop abuts the corner.

You've probably passed it many times. While this cemetery has a fairly high profile location in Minneapolis, some people think the 27 acre site is being neglected.

This year the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota named Pioneer & Soldiers Cemetery one of the state's ten most endangered historic places. And, some people hope the listing will garner the national historic landmark a little more attention.

Toppled headstones
Some of the headstones closer to the street in Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery have been toppled, likely due to vandalism.
MPR Photo/Sam Choo

To find out what makes Pioneer and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery historically important, Crann toured the site with Gary Schiff. Schiff is the 9th Ward Minneapolis City Council Member.