EVERGREEN CEMETERY IS RICH IN HISTORY. IN 2006, IT WAS LISTED IN BOTH THE STATE & NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. THERE IS A CIVIL WAR MONUMENT THAT WAS PLACED IN 1901. THERE ARE 2 HISTORICAL MARKERS, FOR THE EARLIEST EVERGREEN BURIALS & FOR DR. STEPHEN TAINTER, A REVOLUTIONARY WAR VETERAN. EXPLORE THE CEMETERY TO EXPERIENCE ITS HISTORY!
Historic Photo Gallery
History
|
The Knapp, Stout and Company lumber operation donated the land to establish Evergreen as a cemetery in 1873. The 4 families of owners (Knapps, Stouts, Tainters, & Wilsons) were all part of the official land transfer. The original parcel of land was over 50 acres but its present size is 24 acres. Two events reduced the cemetery size: the raising of Lake Menomin's levels between the 1920s and 1950s and the sale of an unused portion of land in 1998.
In 1874, The Knapp, Stout, and Company hired landscape architects William Merchant Richardson French & Horace Shaler Cleveland to design the cemetery. French was 10 years out of Harvard with degrees in civil engineering and landscape gardening. He later went on to be one of the chief architects for the Chicago World's Fair. The Evergreen Cemetery plan reflects the Rural Romantic style, following the natural contours of the land and incorporating native trees and shrubs. |
National Register of Historic Places
|
The Historical Preservation Commission, with the nomination coming from the then President, Jerry Talen, identified and voted on Evergreen Cemetery as a Local Landmark in April 1994. The City of Menomonie Historical Preservation Commission hired Vern Holm to write the grant for Historic Designation. The Talen Trust donated $100, and the Evergreen Cemetery Association donated $100. The Menomonie Historical Preservation Commission paid the bulk of the cost. The writing was expected to be completed by the fall of 1996. It was hoped that designation as a Historic Cemetery on both the National Register and State Register would be forthcoming.
|
|
The Wisconsin Historical Society requested repeated revisions of the nomination by Vern Holm. The writing was not accepted. In 1999, additional money was spent on revising the partially completed nomination. It was not accepted. In 2003, Evergreen Cemetery Association authorized the expenditure, using funds that had been given to the cemetery through bequests and gifts, to complete the nomination as required.
Barbara Kooiman from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse was hired. The nomination was completed by her and accepted in February/March of 2006, following several last minute changes and additions. Ms. Kooiman presented her work to the Selection Committee of the Division of Historic Preservation of the Wisconsin Historical Society when they met. It approved the nomination at that meeting on April 28, 2006, in Madison, Wisconsin. Then the Preservation-Public History Officer, Daina Penkiunas, did the final checking and it was sent to the Federal Secretary of the Interior, which listed Evergreen Cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places on December 6, 2006.
Barbara Kooiman from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse was hired. The nomination was completed by her and accepted in February/March of 2006, following several last minute changes and additions. Ms. Kooiman presented her work to the Selection Committee of the Division of Historic Preservation of the Wisconsin Historical Society when they met. It approved the nomination at that meeting on April 28, 2006, in Madison, Wisconsin. Then the Preservation-Public History Officer, Daina Penkiunas, did the final checking and it was sent to the Federal Secretary of the Interior, which listed Evergreen Cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places on December 6, 2006.
Historical Marker
Earliest Evergreen Burials
|
A Historical Marker tells the story of the single grave section of Evergreen Cemetery. It contains 1,111 graves, though many are unmarked and others display monuments in poor condition. Most burials occurred before 1900, and written burial records tell us much about early life in Menomonie.
The many familiar local names reflect the predominant Norwegian and German heritage of the area. Burial records list illnesses and causes of death common between the 1870s and 1900s. About one-third of those buried here died as children, reflecting the high infant mortality and childhood disease rates of that period. Records reveal suicides, murders and mysterious deaths. Many died of epidemic diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid, diphtheria and influenza, but only a few died of old age. |
Historical Marker
Dr. Stephen Tainter
Revolutionary War Veteran
|
Up the hill on the left lies patriot Dr. Stephen Tainter, born October 13, 1760, in Westborough, Massachusetts. He first enlisted in December 1776, at the age of sixteen, as a drummer with Captain Kimball's company in Colonel Sparhawk's Massachusetts regiment. During the next three years, Tainter enlisted five more times. During the course of the Revolution, Tainter served with several Massachusetts militias that were stationed at various times in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Vermont, and New Jersey.
According to his pension application, after the war Tainter practiced "physic" (medicine) for about thirty years in various places, including Somers, Connecticut; Bradford and New Fane, Vermont; Ludlow and Sheldon, Massachusetts; and Gainesville and Wethersfield, New York. In 1839, Dr. Tainter moved west to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Territory, to live with his children. In 1846, he moved to Utica, Crawford County. There, Stephen Tainter died on July 11, 1847, at the age of 86 years, 9 months. Later his grandson, Captain Andrew Tainter, relocated his body to Evergreen Cemetery, Menomonie, where he rests today. |
|
Notable Burials
Evergreen Cemetery has many notable burials. Explore the cemetery and let the winding paths take you past the graves of our city's founders, our earliest gravesites, and our military veterans. Find an enlarged cemetery map onsite posted at the cemetery bulletin board (near the maintenance & storage shed). You can also explore the map online.
Enjoy a tour of our historic cemetery at your own pace by taking the Historic Walking Tour! The tour is filled with historic details about the many notable people buried in Evergreen Cemetery! It also is an interesting read from the comfort of your own home!
A few of our notable burials are the 4 families that donated the land for Evergreen Cemetery: the Tainters, the Knapps, the Stouts, and the Wilsons.
|
|