Cemetery Tour - State Hospital

State Hospital Cemetery Tour July 12
 
      Join the Otter Tail County Historical Society for its rescheduled tour of the Fergus Falls State Hospital cemetery on Friday, July 12, 6:30 p.m. Park in the back lot of the Fergus Falls Veterans Home. The tour will then proceed to the cemetery. The walk is lengthy so wear comfortable shoes. Admission is $6.
      Less than a month after the hospital opened in August 1890, a
67 year old patient died and became the first person buried in the cemetery. From this burial to the last in 1968, over 3200 people were laid to rest in the state hospital cemetery. Much like the hospital, the cemetery has taken on an aura of mystique and legend. Why? Why are people so fascinated with this place? Unlike other cemeteries, this one does not have a nice name with orderly rows of pleasant looking headstones. In fact, most of the burial sites are unmarked, yet those people had names and histories.
      The state hospital cemetery tour will uncover bits and pieces of this history. Do not expect definitive answers as information is sketchy. Perhaps that is why we are so fascinated with the place. We are curious and more than likely that curiosity will only be heightened after the tour.
      For more information contact the historical society at
218-736-6038 or visit www.otchs.org. No registration is needed.