Minneopa Cemetery

Historic Minneopa Cemetery

Since 1855

Oldest Continuously Operating Cemetery in Blue Earth County

Burial Block Numbers

For specific burial information, please give us a call 507-625-1673.

Minneopa Cemetery is divided into two main areas. The old cemetery is located on the east side of County Rd. 117. The new cemetery is on the west side of County Rd. 117. Click on the image below for a detailed explanation of each portion.

Satellite view of Minneopa Cemetery
New Cemetery       Old Cemetery

Old Cemetery - East Side

plat of the east side

The earliest burials are in the southwest and southeast sections. All blocks are the same size. The east to west length is 38 ft 6 inches, and the north to south width is 17 ft 8 inches.

Blocks are divided into 2, 4, or 6 lots as shown on the plat. There is room for 16 graves in each block. Lots are numbered as shown in these diagrams. Graves are not numbered the same way in the new cemetery.

Blocks 84-128       All others       Blocks 1-72

At every corner of each block is a stone stake about 3" in diameter by 12" long. They may be hard to find because they have sunk and may be covered over with grass but usually, by probing with a spade, they can be found. The alleys between blocks are 6 ft. wide so we can usually find one of the four stakes that are at the intersections of the alleys.

A grave space is 9x7" by 4x5" and a grave is usually opened 8' by 3'. When determining where to open a grave, center it north and south and place the foot at the east end. That leaves enough room for a headstone at the west end. We bury with the head to the west. In the old cemetery burials were not always well planned. There are 2 or 3 that are buried north and south. It was common to place children closer together. Remember, this cemetery exists as a service to the community and we accommodate people as much as we can without compromising our own welfare.

Blocks 308, 309, 330 and 331 were used for single burials and they are recorded under "S" -single graves- in the green burial books.

New Cemetery - West Side

Plat of the West Side

The new (West) side is on two pages---the east half and the west half. The first burial here was in 1955, just 100 years after the first burial in the old cemetery. All blocks are the same size; 48' by 20' and will bury 16. Each lot is 12' by 20' and there are 4 lots per block. There are aluminum stakes at each corner that have a flat top with the numbers of the blocks on it. Blocks and lots and graves are numbered as shown in this diagram. There is only one alley, which is 8 ft. wide, going east to west.

A grave space is 12 ft. by 5 ft. When marking out where a grave is to be opened, center it north and south and place the foot of the grave on the east boundary line, leaving room for headstones on the west end. All burials are heads to the west.

Cremations

Block size, lot size and grave dimensions are the same as west side cemetery. Each cremation space is 6' by 5'.