In Memoriam: Residents of Pioneers & Soldiers Cemetery

October 19, 2024 through 2025

Nestled in the Southside of Minneapolis, there is a community of 22,000 residents. Unlike the bustling neighborhood around it, this one is quiet, because everyone there is deceased. This twenty-two-acre necropolis, the oldest existing cemetery in Minneapolis, is known as Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery. However, the name is a misnomer because most people buried there were neither. Instead, the burial ground was mainly used for the average citizen of Minneapolis.

With the passage of time, many of the people buried there no longer exist in the memories of their descendants. The more notable or infamous residents live on in history books and legends, but what about ordinary folks, or people from marginalized communities? In Memoriam shines a light on these individuals and asks what a cemetery can tell us about ourselves and our shared history with the deceased.

Co-Curated with historian Susan Hunter Weir, and featuring cemetery artwork by photographer Timothy McCall, this exhibit includes artifacts from our collection related to death, mourning, and memory, alongside portraits of the residents of Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery.

Photo by Timothy McCall.