01-02-03 OHPC MINof Otsego - Heritage Preservation Commission
3
Thursday, January L 2, 2003
Co-chair Joy Swenson called the meeting to order at 6:32 P.M., Sharon Carter, Arlene Holen, and
Frieda Lobeck were present. Elaine Norin was absent, but excused. Council member Jerry Struthers
was present.
In attendance were Jeanine Christensen, Joel Coles and Jean Schneider. They are in the process of
applying for commission membership.
Harlan Rask (a member of the Otsego Cemetery Association) and his son Bruce Rask were in
attendance. An invited guest, Charles Reiland, was present.
FRIEDA MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 21, 2002 MEETING AS
PRINTED. SECONDED BY ARLENE. MOTION CARRIED.
Frieda submitted an updated written book report. A copy is attached.
Pictures of the Old Town Hall, taken in October, were passed around.
The following is a summary of Charles Reiland's experience in cemetery restoration:
When he retired 7 years ago he began his endeavor to research unmarked gravesites & repair
cemeteries and markers. At the public cemetery he found a marker without a name. He did
research at the Buffalo courthouse to determine the deceased name.
From that point on, he has continued his work. He has records for everyone born or deceased in
Frankfort Township (10,000 obituaries).
Cemeteries usually began where the railroad stopped. At Smith Lake (the other side of Howard
Lake) there is a cemetery with 51 gravesites he restored. The gravesites were in bad shape.
Farm fields are actually located within the cemetery. Because of his research of unmarked
gravesites, he identified another 15 people. At Oakland Cemetery, in the City of Independence,
he found additional 30 gravesites. At Delano Cemetery, there are 60 or 70 Civil War Veterans.
There are 113 cemeteries in Wright County. 26 cemeteries are vacated. He has restored 5.
His suggestion for cemetery restoration:
• Take pictures. Don't disturb anything.
• The cemetery must first be mapped. Mark the rows (Sharon pointed out Otsego Cemetery
has been documented).
• Clean up the cemetery. Remove debris, trim bushes, and mow. Set broken headstones
upright, however, don't move the stones. Take notes about the headstones that are in need
of repair.
• After finding markers that are unreadable or sites that are unmarked, perform research to
determine the name of the deceased.
• You sometimes can identify unmarked graves by looking for a change in color in the grass.
• Mold on headstone - use sandpaper with a power drill (rent a gas powered generator).
• Bleach will kill the mold (if sandstone, you shouldn't use bleach).
• It takes about 1 hour to clean a stone.
• To clean the letters, use a bristle brush, use a chisel or air compressor.
• You can find buried headstones or caskets by probing the ground.
• You can never dig, it is illegal.
• The Federal Government will replace markers for ANY veteran who does not have a
marked grave. Documentation, which could be an obituary, should be sent to the Veteran
Affair Office. He will send OHPC the number of the form that must be used when
requesting a marker for a veteran.
• The new marker can be marble, granite, or iron. It will include the full name, date of birth,
date of death, war they fought in or special medals awarded, and religion.
• To determine whom is buried in a cemetery, review census records at Buffalo Courthouse.
• Check with the Minnesota Historical Society. They have 150 years of death certificates that
can be reviewed. Back issues of newspapers are on microfilm at the MN Historical Society.
• It takes 70 days to make a tombstone. A forklift and loading dock are needed.
When restoring a cemetery, he finds help by:
• finding Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts who need badges or Boy Scouts who are going for their
Eagle Scout Badge. He contacts local scoutmasters.
• utilizing "sentence to serve inmates" (they must work for their time).
• asking the American Legion, VFW, JC's, or Eagles.
The "pecking order" for receiving donations to restore a cemetery is (1) church sponsorship, (2)
township/city funds, (3) county funds and (4) state funds.
There are two types of glue. One holds pieces together. The other will repair & hold the marker to the
base. These can be obtained at the St. Cloud Granite Company for a cost of $15.00 for two bottles.
Joel asked about large trees uprooting gravesites. Charles suggested cutting the tree down. Possibly
replanting a new tree.
Charles suggests cemetery bylaws should be changed to reflect cemeteries are for humans only. Harlan
Rask acknowledged this suggestion by indicating such a change would be made.
Charles strongly believes perpetual care should include maintenance of markers/headstones (by the
cemetery board).
The subject of Indians in Wright County was discussed. Charles noted there were Ojibwa, Sioux,
Lakota located in the area of Watertown, Delano and Rockford (tribe of around 500) when the civil war
began, and many men from Minnesota went to fight. That is when an uprising occurred.
In 1861, the Indians were driven out of Minnesota.
SHARON MOVED TO ADJOURN, FRIEDA SECONDED. THE MEETING ADJOURNED AT
8:29.
We will meet again on Thursday, January 23, 2003 at 6:30 P.M. at City Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Sharon Carter, Secretary