Lakewood Cemetery
Lakewood Cemetery is an approximately one hundred acre cemetery in Minneapolis , Minnesota . It is located southwest of the city center on Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet and is considered a scenic and architectural cemetery. Various personalities from contemporary history are buried in Lakewood Cemetery.
On the initiative of William S. King , a local businessman and newspaper editor, a group of 15 people formed in August 1871 to form the Lyndale Cemetery Association . This had the goal of building a rural cemetery for Minneapolis, which would be permanently free of possible interference from the city. For this they chose an area between Lake Calhoun and Harriet. A total of 250 shares at 100 US dollars were issued to finance the property, which cost more than $ 20,000. Around two thirds of these investments went to the members of the association themselves, the rest was sold to citizens of the city. The organization later renamed itself the Lakewood Cemetery Association and bought back the stakes in the cemetery from the creditors. In September 1872, the cemetery was opened in the presence of numerous Minneapolis residents. The non-profit Lakewood Cemetery Association is still responsible for the administration of the public and non-denominational cemetery.
Lakewood Cemetery was modeled on 19th century France cemeteries, such as Père Lachaise in Paris. In addition to various monuments, mausoleums and the extensive gardens , the cemetery chapel, built in 1910 in the style of Byzantine architecture , is a particular attraction. The interior is decorated with an ornate mosaic and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Famous people buried in the cemetery
- Orville Freeman , politician and 29th Governor of Minnesota
- Hubert H. Humphrey , politician and Vice President of the USA
- Robert Koehler , German-American painter
- Frank C. Mars , inventor of the Mars chocolate bar
- George Mikan , professional basketball player
- Karl Mueller , rock musician
- Floyd B. Olson , politician and 22nd Governor of Minnesota
- John Sargent Pillsbury , 8th Governor and Co-Founder of the Pillsbury Company
- Rudy Perpich , politician and 34th and 36th Governors of Minnesota
Web links
- Official website (English)
Coordinates: 44 ° 55 '59.6 " N , 93 ° 18' 0.4" W.