As I've been researching this cemetery, I have found out that it is 'the home of MN's Civil War History'. It's beautiful and supposedly haunted. I am not usually one to find cemeteries haunted, I tend to find them beautiful and reverent. But this one has unnerved me. As I pulled in (I was 'lost' and thought 'hey blog photos!), I saw two black birds on the ground. As I approached, I noticed the trees were full of them. The one flew off by the time I was close enough for this photo.
This photo is the graves of the Forepaugh family. They had quite the tragic history and Forepaugh's Restaurant is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in St Paul. I have yet to go. But I am very curious.
Some of the more intriguing headstones are the ones that look like tree stumps. If I remember correctly, this one is from the late 1800's. There is a man's name on it and an infant's. I feel obligated, in a sense, to read obituaries and to read headstones, that somehow I'm letting the Universe know that these people's lives deserve a moment of recognition. But little ones always break my heart.
There are other interesting headstones here. Not to mention the intricate balance of wealth, social class and heredity. There are sections with the famous Minnesotans who I am starting to learn about: Ramsey, Sibley, Kellogg, Sherwood. They have counties and streets and buildings and parkways named for them. Soldiers and firefighters have their own sections. German, Swedish and Hmong names that I will probably never be able to pronounce correctly cover large sections. The only real problem I had with this trip was how cold and windy it was! That is MN.
5 comments:
Oh great pics! I also wander through graveyards, and must stop to wonder at the lives that ended in so many ways. I choke up over people I have never met. I want to know their stories, and at the same time I know I never will. The mystery is a draw to me.
Those a great pictures. TFS!
Especially interesting are those tree like headstones.i had never heard/seen any.Great post.
Great cemetery shots - I really like the last two, against the winter trees.
Wow, I would LOVE to visit that cemetery. Unnerving, eh? Your pictures are fantastic...I get such a feeling from them. The snow on the ground, the bare trees...spooky. I love cemeteries in the winter. That headstone most certainly is the most interesting/peculiar I have ever seen. Those of little ones always tug strongly on my heart. :(
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