Great news! On Tuesday, January 16th, the Ramsey County Board of
Commissioners approved a plan and the funds to convert the old Poor Farm
Cemetery into a Heritage Park! I have been working on this for several
years, along with the Maplewood Area Historical Society (MAHS). As some of
you may know, we jointly published "Ramsey County's Forgotten Cemetery,"
listing the interments back in 1998.
From 1894 to 1923, almost 3000 men, women and children were buried here.
They came from all over the county: the Poor Farm itself, the City/County
Hospital, State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights (then Rose Township), White
Bear, Mounds View, etc. About 10% are unknownabandoned infants, suicides,
vagrants found near rail lines. One common factor: they were all poor.
Over the years, encroachment has taken place on each edge of the cemetery.
On the north, a gas pipeline was installed. To the east, a racetrack was
built for the Ramsey County Fairgrounds. On the south, horseshoe courts
were built. To the west, White Bear Avenue became a major 4-lane street.
The plan calls for preserving the cemetery, re-establishing a native plant
landscape (e.g., wild flowers and prairie grass), and several interpretive
markers. Ramsey County was the first in Minnesota to provide any kind of
assistance to the indigent. The neighboring brick barn built for the dairy
herd at the Poor Farm is now on the National Register. The Heritage Park
concept is ideal for this historic site.
Though the County authorized funds for preservation and landscaping, it did
not fund the markers. The MAHS is spearheading this effort. If you would
like to contribute, send a check made out to the MAHS and mark it for the
Cemetery Fund. Their mailing address is:
Maplewood Area Historical Society
Attn.: Pete Boulay, President
1100 East Co Rd C
Maplewood, MN 55109-1051
Our thanks to Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt , and to Carol Morphew and
the other County Staff who helped in this effort!
See the Ramsey County MnGenWeb page for information on this and other
Ramsey County cemeteries.
<
http://www.parkbooks.com/MnGenWeb/cem.html>
Mary
Mary Bakeman
Ramsey County MnGenWeb Coordinator
mbakeman(a)parkbooks.com
http://www.parkbooks.com/MnGenWeb/ramsey.html
Park Genealogical Books
http://www.parkbooks.com/