It’s a lonely two acre plot of land in the corner of a farm field on County Road N. Most people would drive right by and never realize it was a graveyard, if not for the old rusty sign that simply says Otter Creek Cemetery.
Most of the grave markers are modest, and many are broken off, like bad teeth. There are a few taller, more stately memorials scattered on the lot; there are also rumored to be some unmarked graves.
Established in the late 1800’s, the cemetery belonged to the Emmanuel Baptist Church. The congregation’s services were provided by “traveling preachers.” The church was destroyed in a fire sometime in the mid to late 1940’s with some of the stone foundation still intact across the road.
The land was gifted and passed through several hands before it was quitclaim deeded to the Town of Otter Creek and it became a municipal cemetery in 1992.
The town has a budget of a little over one thousand dollars per year, mostly for ground maintenance. The local resident who does the mowing often adds some extras, like digging out the old walkways between plots and such, on his own time. He has also offered to sandblast the rust on the sign’s frame. The sign is in rough condition and in risk of falling into disrepair.
The only revenue the cemetery brings in is an occasional plot sale. A single gravesite can be purchased for $250 but sales are far and few between. One plot was recently sold to Alan Sieger, who is not a resident of Otter Creek, but his parents, Emmet & Edith Sieger are buried there, and he has fond childhood memories of summer visits with his family in Dunn County.
I myself have considered securing a final resting place for my ashes in the cemetery. My father had his ashes spread over his favorite lake; now that lake has been developed and there really is no place or marker to pay him homage.
Every headstone tells a story and proves that we once existed. Old cemeteries are like outdoor history museums.
Some of the histories are sad, such as the Lee family, who lost four of their children to diphtheria in 1889. There are also two Civil War and two WWII veterans listed on the plot map. The taller monuments represent entire families and tell their history. The unmarked graves are reported to be three little girls in the same family who died from tuberculosis and had to be buried in secret at night, because the disease was so contagious.
Not all the tales are sad; some headstones just remind us of the rhythm of life. We are born, we love and we die.
Note: Background for this article was provided by Town of Otter Creek Secretary, Bev Bernier.
Renee Carrell is a Town of Otter Creek resident and MNN NoteTaker for Town meetings.
