The Oldest Cemetery in the Midwest

Happy Halloween from Minnesota, my friends. I’m a huge autumn fan. It completes my lifestyle from the moment the State Fair closes it’s gates until the first snow falls (or later depending on when we get snow in Minnesota). Even then, I usually continue my fall festivities until Christmas finally wins out in December.

One of my favorite things to do this time of year when the temperatures turn cool and the leaves change color is wander through cemeteries. Last year, I spent an entire afternoon in Highgate Cemetery in London. In the years before, I would frequent Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis. New Orleans has some of the best Cities of the Dead one can see. In the rare occasion that I am in Michigan visiting my family during this time of year, I’ll visit my hometown’s unkempt graveyard of curiosities. This year, I took the number 3 bus route into Saint Paul to visit Oakland Cemetery. It’s not far from the Como Zoo and Conservatory and you can see the Cathedral of St. Paul over the trees if you catch the view just right. It was the views inside the cemetery that I was interested in.

The ground was blanketed in the reds, oranges, and yellows of the falling leaves from the trees above. This cemetery was founded in 1853 making it the oldest in the Midwest. For a cemetery so old, it has a surprisingly modern feel. Only the center of the cemetery feels old. Everywhere else feels fairly recent even if the dates on the graves are from a hundred years ago. A sign of a well maintained cemetery.

I arrived when the gates opened and had the place to myself save for one mourner who came in to lay flowers on a grave at the end of my stay. This cemetery is only two blocks wide but at least six blocks long so if you stand in the center you can see the homes beyond the gates in front and behind the cemetery, but not on either side.

For as old as it is, I expected there to be more mausoleums, but there were only a few near the center. It wasn’t until 1892 that the first mausoleum was allowed here and it was purchased by David Shepard, an engineer for the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, for his family. One other mausoleum caught my eye for it had metal doors that had oxidized to a pretty green color.

When I took a closer look, I noticed it was covered in spiderwebs. This added a bit of creepiness to the place, not that I needed to feel that way. But I do enjoy the beauty that spiders make when the weave.

On my way to the far side of this cemetery that I had neglected to discover on previous visits, I found this angel statue keeping an eye on the place. The weather worn appearance finally gave away the cemetery’s age.

Through a moss covered archway, I found a couple more statues but these were far newer.

They seemed to overlook a newer section of the cemetery and I can’t blame them. Someone has to make sure these souls rest in peace. I had been in the cemetery for a couple hours at that point and that was when I saw the mourner enter the place. That was when I decided to make my way to the exit as I didn’t want to disturb them.

Whatever you’re doing this Halloweekend, I hope it brings you joy. If you’re trick or treating with the kiddos, have some chocolate for me. If you’re turning the lights off and watching a horror movie on Friday night, I’ll raise a beer to you when I do the same. If you’re adult dressing in costumes and partying it up, enjoy your youthful energy. If you’re just casually waiting for Christmas to arrive, your time is coming. Be safe out there, Ghoulies.