Phillips in Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery

The Museum in the Streets: Minneapolis, Minnesota

— Midtown: A Place to Call Home —

Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, April 26, 2023

1. Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Infant Carlton Cressey was the first person to be buried here on September 11, 1853. Cressey's family knew the landowner, Martin Layman, and when the child died, Layman offered part of his farm as a burial site. Several more burials took place throughout the 1850s, and in 1860 Layman platted the area as a cemetery. By 1919, an estimated 27,000 bodies were interred in Layman's Cemetery. These included some of Minneapolis' first settlers, soldiers and veterans, working men, immigrants, notorious criminals, and many children. Martin and Elizabeth Layman were members of the First Baptist Church in Minneapolis, whose congregation was active in the pre-Civil War anti-slavery movement. At a time when most cemeteries were segregated, theirs was not. In June 2002, the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

El pequeño Carlton Cressey fue la primera persona enterrada en este sitio el 11 de septiembre de 1853. Su familia y Martin Layman se conocían, y cuando murió el niño, Layman les ofreció parte de su finca como sepultura. Hubieron más entierros, y en 1860 se planificó el área como cementerio. En 1919 se habían enterrado aproximadamente 27,000 cadáveres en Layman Cemetery, inclusive los primeros colonos de Minneapolis, soldados y veteranos, trabajadores, inmigrantes, delincuentes notables, y muchos niños. La pareja Layman era miembro de la iglesia First Baptist Church en Minneapolis, cuya congregación participaba en el movimiento contra la esclavitud anterior a la Guerra Civil. Su cementario fue el único que no segregaba. En junio 2002, fue registrado en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos.

Captain John W. Cheatham, 1855 – 1918, one of the first African American firefighters in Minneapolis, is buried in the cemetery.
Capitán John W. Cheatham, 1855-1918, uno de los primeros bomberos Africano Americanos en Minneapolis, está enerrado en el cementerio.

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Museum in the Streets®. (Marker Number 10.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the The Museum in the Streets: Minneapolis, Minnesota series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 11, 1853.

Location. 44° 56.942′ N, 93° 14.852′ W. Marker is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in Hennepin County. It is in Phillips. It is on Cedar Avenue north of E. Lake Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2934 Cedar Avenue, Minneapolis MN 55407, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking

Marker opposite the Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, October 17, 2023

2. Marker opposite the Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery

distance of this marker: Layman's Farmhouse / Casa de Campo Layman (within shouting distance of this marker); 1601 East Lake: Ingebretsen's (approx. 0.2 miles away); 2019 East Lake: Burma Shave / Lake Este 2019: Crema de Afeitar Burma Shave (approx. ¼ mile away); 2107 East Lake: Porky's Drive-In (approx. ¼ mile away); 2108-30 East Lake: Twin City Rapid Transit Lake Street Station and Car Yard (approx. 0.3 miles away); Martin Olav Sabo Bridge (approx. 0.4 miles away); 2217 East Lake: Axel's Lunch Room (approx. 0.4 miles away); Hiawatha-Minnehaha Corridor (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Minneapolis.

Also see . . . Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery on Wikipedia. (Submitted on April 24, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 24, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 416 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 24, 2024, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.