Landmark Site
Rutherford Cemetery
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Rutherford Cemetery, located on what is now the rapidly developing outskirts of Stillwater on the east side of Manning Avenue, just north of County Road #12, retains much of its original rural feel and serves as a poignant symbol of early Washington County settlement and ongoing ties among early Stillwater families.
The cemetery is located on a portion of land originally set aside by settler William Rutherford in 1850 to serve families in the small neighborhood known as Greenfield, now Grant township. Rutherford first came to Stillwater from St. Louis with lumberman John McKusick, One early account notes that this elevated spot was the site of the first Rutherford home, which was destroyed by fire.
While unmarked burials may have occurred early on, the first marked grave is that of Charity Jose Ramsden, who died on April 2, 1851. In about 1870, neighbors from the area gathered at William Rutherford's home to form a cemetery association. They divided the plot into 18 lots, with various members of the Rutherford, Masterman, Ramsden, Brosius, and Fairbanks families represented among others. At that point, care of the individual graves fell to family members, but there was little consistent overall care of the grounds. Family members from the area, however, often chose Rutherford as an interment site. A typical announcement read:
"R. M. Jenks, a farmer, residing a few mileswest of Stillwater, died yesterday afternoon of paralysis, with which he had been afflicted for some time. Deceased resided for many years on Morgan May's farm in the town of May, and was a brother of Aid. Austin Jenks of this city. He was born in New York state and was nearly 70 years of age. The funeral will be held from the family residence at10:30 tomorrow forenoon, the interment occurring in the Rutherford cemetery." (St. Paul Daily Globe, August 18, 1898)
In 1939, seven women from the area formed the "Home Cemetery Association," soon to be the "Rutherford Cemetery Association," with the goal of "perpetual care" of the site, with families donating an average of fifty dollars per lot toward this goal. Ice cream socials were also held to raise funds, and the extent of the work necessary is evident in an early history, which describes: "The men grubbed stumps, trimmed trees, leveled graves, and lower headstones. The women helped by mowing, raking, and trimming around the monuments."
In 1941, William Rutherford's granddaughter, Mrs. Arthur (Vida) Vollmer, donated an addition quarter acre of land to the cemetery. By the 1950s, an official Perpetual Care fund had been established, and efforts were ongoing to solicit donations and bequests, aided by the efforts of the Priscilla Club, a local ladies' aid association, and an annual Work Day Picnic brought volunteer labor to cemetery upkeep efforts. Tree planting included maple trees and cedars, which inspired a columnist with the St. Paul dispatch to extol in 1949, "A line of lofty cedars still stands sentinel duty today. And when the wind blows, as it almost always does on Rutherford Hill, the cedars hum a requiem."
The annual picnic and work day remains a tradition at the cemetery today.
Source(s): Empson, Don, Brent Peterson, and Joyce Welander. The Rutherford Neighborhood Statement of Significance. MS. Newman, Mildred Abbetmeyer. The Rutherford Neighborhood. 1845-1969. Stillwater: Croixside, 1969. Print.
Washington County Parcel Identification Number (PIN): 3003020230011
Common Property Name: Rutherford Cemetery
State Historic Preservation Office Inventory Number:
Construction Date: Circa 1851
Architectural Style: Unknown