Garden of Remembrance Cemetery Name
Official
It’s official! With the Governor’s
approval on April 26th, 2005 the cemetery at the former Cambridge
State Hospital was officially named the Garden
Of Remembrance.
Former Cambridge State Hospital residents and people with disabilities
now have a final resting place in the community, in a cemetery
no longer hidden away and neglected.
With the naming of the state cemetery made official by the legislature
and the approval of the Governor, the Garden Of Remembrance Cemetery
is now like any other. The cemetery is open to the public and accessible.
The well maintained flower gardens and benches offer a quiet and
comfortable place to be in the presence of loved ones.
The improvements to the Garden Of Remembrance can be attributed
to the combined efforts of the Minnesota Extended Treatment Options
(METO), Remembering With Dignity, National Alliance for the Mentally
Ill (NAMI) East Central Minnesota Chapter and many individuals in
the Cambridge community. In 2003, the effort to name the cemetery
began after Remembering With Dignity and National Alliance for the
Mentally Ill (NAMI) East Central Chapter initiated improvements to
the cemetery with named grave markers.
Visit the Garden Of
Remembrance on June 11th, during the Isanti County Historical Society’s
Cemetery Tour, a day when cemeteries in Isanti County will be staffed
with volunteers providing interesting historical information. Though
the history of the treatment of people in state hospitals remains
fraught with civil rights abuses, the respect now shown to the
deceased residents, family and friends has improved. For more information,
contact Jim Fas-sett-Carman at Remembering With Dignity. 651-641-0297,
Email: rwd@selfadvocacy.org.
