Preserving the past one building, site at a time

by Tom Crann, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — 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.

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.