Cemeteries are an important documentation of the past, and have been a passion of mine for over ten years. Not only is the architecture endlessly fascinating, but you can learn a lot about family and community from studying a cemetery. Originally I had hoped to discover what the four oldest cemeteries in Minnesota are, but having never done historical research of this magnitude, I quickly had to narrow my topic and concentrate on only one cemetery. I chose Atkinson Cemetery in Cottage Grove because I thought it was the oldest cemetery in Washington County, and because it managed to elude being destroyed or relocated, despite encroaching urban sprawl and a sixty-year abandonment.

Although Atkinson is not the oldest cemetery in Washington County, it is none-the-less significant to the history of Cottage Grove and the state of Minnesota. Every cemetery has a story to tell; please be considerate when visiting your local cemetery. If you are interested in historic preservation, state history, or even family genealogy, please visit the links section of this website.