Lakewood Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Lakewood Cemetery is a large private, non-sectarian cemetery
located in Minneapolis
, Minnesota
. It is located at 3600 Hennepin Avenue at the southern end of the Uptown
area. It is noted for its chapel
which is on the National Register of Historic Places
and was modeled after the Hagia Sophia
in Istanbul, Turkey.
. When Lakewood was established in 1871, these spacious cemeteries were flourishing in the United States.
In July 1871 Colonel William S. King
, local businessman and newspaper publisher, proposed to community leaders of the city that they work together to establish a cemetery in Minneapolis where "the encroachments of the city would never seriously interfere". On August 7, 1871, a group of fifteen held a meeting and established the Lyndale Cemetery Association. According to the minutes of the original meeting recorded by Thomas Lowry
, "that after an examination of various localities they had chosen the land owned by William S. King lying between Lakes Calhoun
and Harriet". Colonel King agreed to sell the land for $21,000, "on one year's time at seven percent interest". During a time in which a home in Minneapolis could be purchased for $500, the new trustees voted to raise $25,000 "for the purchase of grounds and improvements". The money was raised by selling 250 shares of stock at $100 a piece, two-thirds of which was purchased by the trustees themselves. The remaining balance was solicited by a committee and sold to other residents of the city. The organization was later renamed the "Lakewood Cemetery Association". In an Executive Committee Meeting held on April 23, 1872, Superintendent A.B. Barton and the board of trustees employed C. W. Folsom, Superintendent of Mount Auburn Cemetery
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
to develop plans for the grounds.
The public dedication of Lakewood was held on September 16, 1872 and was attended by many Minneapolis families and residents. The sale of lots to the public began immediately after the dedication. Maggie Menzel, who died on January 24, 1872 at the age of nineteen, was the first person buried in Lakewood Cemetery. On October 5, 1872 the Association reacquired all stock from the original investors. Roughly three years later in August 1875 the Association submitted its first annual report to the lot owners of Lakewood, which stressed the Cemetery's non-profit status.
Many Minneapolis streets, parks, and monuments bear the names of the Association's original founders — Thomas Lowry
, William D. Washburn
, and Charles M. Loring
to name a few. Since 1872, Lakewood has continued to exist as a public, non-profit, non-denominational cemetery providing services to the families of Minneapolis.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
located in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. It is located at 3600 Hennepin Avenue at the southern end of the Uptown
Uptown, Minneapolis
Uptown is a popular commercial district in southwestern Minneapolis, Minnesota, centered at the Uptown Theater at the intersection of Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue. It has traditionally spanned the corners of four neighborhoods, Lowry Hill East, ECCO, CARAG and East Isles neighborhoods, within...
area. It is noted for its chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
which is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and was modeled after the Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey...
in Istanbul, Turkey.
History
Lakewood has long been considered one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the country. It was modeled after the rural cemeteries of 19th-century France, such as the famous Père-Lachaise in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. When Lakewood was established in 1871, these spacious cemeteries were flourishing in the United States.
William S. King
Colonel William Smith King was a Republican United States Representative for Minnesota from March 4, 1875 to March 3, 1877. He engaged in a variety of other activities, including journalism and surveying. King was born in Malone, New York in Franklin County where he grew up and attended the...
, local businessman and newspaper publisher, proposed to community leaders of the city that they work together to establish a cemetery in Minneapolis where "the encroachments of the city would never seriously interfere". On August 7, 1871, a group of fifteen held a meeting and established the Lyndale Cemetery Association. According to the minutes of the original meeting recorded by Thomas Lowry
Thomas Lowry
Thomas Lowry was a lawyer, real-estate magnate, and businessman who oversaw much of the early growth the streetcar lines in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding communities in Minnesota...
, "that after an examination of various localities they had chosen the land owned by William S. King lying between Lakes Calhoun
Lake Calhoun
Lake Calhoun is the biggest lake in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and part of the city's Chain of Lakes. Surrounded by city park land and circled by bike and walking trails, it is popular for many outdoor activities...
and Harriet". Colonel King agreed to sell the land for $21,000, "on one year's time at seven percent interest". During a time in which a home in Minneapolis could be purchased for $500, the new trustees voted to raise $25,000 "for the purchase of grounds and improvements". The money was raised by selling 250 shares of stock at $100 a piece, two-thirds of which was purchased by the trustees themselves. The remaining balance was solicited by a committee and sold to other residents of the city. The organization was later renamed the "Lakewood Cemetery Association". In an Executive Committee Meeting held on April 23, 1872, Superintendent A.B. Barton and the board of trustees employed C. W. Folsom, Superintendent of Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery", or the first "rural cemetery", with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
to develop plans for the grounds.
The public dedication of Lakewood was held on September 16, 1872 and was attended by many Minneapolis families and residents. The sale of lots to the public began immediately after the dedication. Maggie Menzel, who died on January 24, 1872 at the age of nineteen, was the first person buried in Lakewood Cemetery. On October 5, 1872 the Association reacquired all stock from the original investors. Roughly three years later in August 1875 the Association submitted its first annual report to the lot owners of Lakewood, which stressed the Cemetery's non-profit status.
Many Minneapolis streets, parks, and monuments bear the names of the Association's original founders — Thomas Lowry
Thomas Lowry
Thomas Lowry was a lawyer, real-estate magnate, and businessman who oversaw much of the early growth the streetcar lines in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding communities in Minnesota...
, William D. Washburn
William D. Washburn
William Drew Washburn was an American politician. He served in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate as a Republican from Minnesota. Three of his seven brothers became politicians: Elihu B. Washburne, Cadwallader C. Washburn, and Israel Washburn, Jr...
, and Charles M. Loring
Charles M. Loring
Charles Morgridge Loring was an American businessperson, miller and publicist. Raised in Maine to be a sea captain, Loring instead became a civic leader in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he was a wealthy flour miller and in Riverside, California where he helped to build the first city hall...
to name a few. Since 1872, Lakewood has continued to exist as a public, non-profit, non-denominational cemetery providing services to the families of Minneapolis.
Notable persons
- Curt CarlsonCurt CarlsonCurtis "Curt" Carlson was a Swedish-American businessman and founder of Carlson.-Background:Curtis Leroy Carlson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Charles and Leatha Carlson, both Swedish-American immigrants...
, founder of Radisson HotelsRadisson HotelsRadisson Hotels is one of the leading, full-service global hotel companies with more than 420 locations in 73 countries. The first Radisson Hotel was built in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1909, and was named after the 17th-century French explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson... - H. David DalquistH. David DalquistH. David Dalquist was the inventor of the Bundt cake pan, sold by his company Nordic Ware. After the cakes became very popular due to winning the 1966 Pillsbury Bake-off, Dalquist licensed the name to Pillsbury for use in their cake mixes. He later helped develop thermoset plastics used in...
, inventor of the Bundt pan, and founder of Nordic WareNordic WareNordic Ware is a company based in St. Louis Park, Minnesota that introduced the Bundt cake pan in 1950. It was founded in 1946 by H. David Dalquist.... - George DaytonGeorge DaytonGeorge Draper Dayton was an American businessman and philanthropist.-Life and career:Dayton came to the U.S. state of Minnesota from New York in 1883. His family was one of average means, and he had hoped to become a minister, but was lured by the urge to be in the business world...
, founder of Dayton Dry Goods, which became Target CorporationTarget CorporationTarget Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's... - Steve FoleySteve Foley (drummer)Steven Foley was an American drummer who played for Curtiss A, Things That Fall Down, The Replacements, Bash & Pop, Wheelo and several other bands in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He played live for the most part but he recorded with songwriter Peter Lack and he appears in a Replacements video, "When It...
, drummer for The Replacements - William Watts FolwellWilliam Watts FolwellWilliam Watts Folwell was the first President of the University of Minnesota.William Watts Folwell attended Hobart College in Geneva, New York, where he received his undergraduate degree in 1857 and his Masters of Arts degree in 1860...
, first president of the University of MinnesotaUniversity of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557... - Orville FreemanOrville FreemanOrville Lothrop Freeman was an American Democratic politician who served as the 29th Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1955 to January 2, 1961, and as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1961 to 1969 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson...
, 29th Governor of MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, Former US Secretary of Agriculture - Lewis A. GrantLewis A. GrantLewis Addison Grant was a teacher, lawyer, soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and later Assistant U.S. Secretary of War...
, American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
general and Assistant U.S. Secretary of WarUnited States Secretary of WarThe Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation... - Hubert HumphreyHubert HumphreyHubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
, Vice President of the United StatesVice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
, U.S. Senator - Muriel HumphreyMuriel HumphreyMuriel Fay Buck Humphrey Brown was the widow of former Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Following her husband's death, she was appointed to his seat in the United States Senate, thus being the first wife of a Vice President to hold public office...
, Second Lady of the United StatesSecond Lady of the United StatesSecond lady of the United States is an informal title for the wife of the vice president of the United States, coined in contrast to the first lady ....
, U.S. Senator - Isaac Wilson JoyceIsaac Wilson JoyceIsaac Wilson Joyce was an American bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1888.He was born in Colerain Township, Hamilton County, Ohio on 11 October 1836. He became a Member of the Northwest Indiana Annual Conference of the M.E...
, Methodist bishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the... - William S. KingWilliam S. KingColonel William Smith King was a Republican United States Representative for Minnesota from March 4, 1875 to March 3, 1877. He engaged in a variety of other activities, including journalism and surveying. King was born in Malone, New York in Franklin County where he grew up and attended the...
, U.S. Representative - Robert KoehlerRobert KoehlerRobert Koehler was a German-born painter and art teacher who spent most of his career in the United States of America.-Biography:...
, German-born painterPaintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is... - Charles August LindberghCharles August LindberghCharles August Lindbergh Sr. was a United States Congressman from Minnesota's 6th congressional district from 1907 to 1917...
, RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
congressman, father of the pioneering aviatorCharles LindberghCharles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S... - Frank C. MarsFrank C. MarsFranklin Clarence Mars , sometimes known as Frank C. Mars, was an American business magnate who founded the food company Mars, Incorporated, which makes mostly chocolate candy. Mars and his son Forrest Edward Mars developed M&M's.-Family:He was born in 1883 in Hancock, Minnesota...
, creator of the Milky Way candy barCandy barA chocolate bar is a confection in bar form comprising some or all of the following components: cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, milk. The relative presence or absence of these components form the subclasses of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. In addition to these main... - George MikanGeorge MikanGeorge Lawrence Mikan, Jr. , nicknamed Mr. Basketball, was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball Association...
, professional basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player - Karl MuellerKarl MuellerKarl Mueller was an American rock musician. He was the bass player and a founding member of the Minneapolis Alternative Rock band, Soul Asylum....
, Soul AsylumSoul AsylumSoul Asylum is an American alternative rock band that formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1983.The band originally formed in 1981 under the name Loud Fast Rules, with the original line-up consisting of Dan Murphy, Dave Pirner, Karl Mueller and Pat Morley. The latter was replaced by Grant Young in...
bassist - Floyd B. OlsonFloyd B. OlsonFloyd Bjørnstjerne Olson was an American politician. He served as the 22nd Governor of Minnesota from January 6, 1931 to August 22, 1936. He died in office from stomach cancer. He was a member of the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party, and was the first member of the Farmer-Labor Party to win the...
, 22nd Governor of MinnesotaGovernor of MinnesotaThe Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty different people have been governors of the state, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial...
, often considered the state's greatest governor - Rudy PerpichRudy PerpichRudolph George "Rudy" Perpich, Sr. was an American politician and the longest-serving governor of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, he served as the 34th and 36th Governor of Minnesota from December 29, 1976 to January 4, 1979, and from January 3, 1983, to January 7, 1991...
, 34th and 36th Governor of MinnesotaGovernor of MinnesotaThe Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty different people have been governors of the state, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial... - John S. PillsburyJohn S. PillsburyJohn Sargent Pillsbury was an American politician, businessman, and philanthropist. A Republican, he served as the eighth Governor of Minnesota from 1876 to 1882.John S. Pillsbury was born in Sutton, New Hampshire...
, 8th Governor of Minnesota, founder of Pillsbury - Carl PohladCarl PohladCarl R. Pohlad was a successful financier and the owner of the Minnesota Twins baseball franchise from 1984 until his death in 2009.-Early life:...
, owner of the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the... - James SampleJames SampleJames W. Sample was an American conductor.-Biography:Sample was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and began studying the violin at age ten and piano at age eleven. By the age of twenty he conducted his first symphony in Minneapolis. He earned his bachelor’s in music degree at the MacPhail School of...
, conductor of many orchestras including the Oregon SymphonyOregon SymphonyThe Oregon Symphony is an American orchestra based in Portland, Oregon. Founded as the Portland Symphony Society in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States... - Tiny TimTiny Tim (musician)Tiny Tim , , born in Manhattan, was an American singer and ukulele player. He was most famous for his rendition of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" sung in a distinctive high falsetto/vibrato voice.-Rise to fame:Born to Lebanese parents in 1932, Khaury displayed musical talent at a very young age...
, musician and entertainer. - William J. Tuttle, make up artist
- Paul WellstonePaul WellstonePaul David Wellstone was a two-term U.S. Senator from the state of Minnesota and member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which is affiliated with the national Democratic Party. Before being elected to the Senate in 1990, he was a professor of political science at Carleton College...
, US senator - Harriet G. WalkerHarriet G. WalkerHarriet Granger Hulet Walker was an American hospital administrator and leader in the temperance movement.-Early life:...
, president of Northwestern Hospital, now part of Allina Hospitals & ClinicsAllina Hospitals & ClinicsAllina Hospitals & Clinics is network of health care providers based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Allina owns or operates 11 hospitals and more than 85 clinics throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin... - T. B. WalkerT. B. WalkerThomas Barlow Walker was a highly successful American businessperson who acquired timber in Minnesota and California and became an art collector. Walker founded the Minneapolis Public Library. He was among the 10 wealthiest men in the world in 1923. He built two company towns, one of which his son...
, lumberman and art collector, now Walker Art CenterWalker Art CenterThe Walker Art Center is a contemporary art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is considered one of the nation's "big five" museums for modern art along with the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Hirshhorn... - Juanita WrightJuanita WrightJuanita Wright was a professional wrestling valet and wrestler best known as "Sweet" Sapphire in the World Wrestling Federation where she managed Dusty Rhodes in 1989 and 1990. She also wrestled on the independent circuit as Princess Dark Cloud.-Early life:Juanita Wright was born on October 24,...
, professional wrestler - George M. Scott, MN Supreme Court Justice, Hennepin County Attorney, candidate for MN Governor