Mystery along the dirt road

Recording and restoring cemeteries was one of first projects undertaken by newly formed Isanti County Historical Society in 1970s.

by Tesha M. Christensen
STAR Assistant Editor
The small burial plot is tucked south off of Old Grandy Road in Stanchfield Township, and you’ll miss it unless you’re paying close attention. A tiny area is mowed and an indescript sign informs passersby that yes, this is Elm Park Cemetery.
Mystery yet shrouds the cemetery, also called the Socialist Cemetery or the “non-believers cemetery”. There is little on file at the Isanti County Historical Society but a few handwritten notes. One attempts to list those buried there in the absence of a formal cemetery plat. “1. Berg baby - stillborn - parents - Andrew Berg and wife. Confirmed by George Berg, brother of the stillborn baby.” “2. Gust Ruden - (possibly buried there. Mrs. George Ruden.” There are eight listed in this fashion.
Another note – this one typewritten – is stamped confidential and is the compilation of five interviews made by Randolph Johnson and Bob Duoos in 1974.
The reason for this secrecy surmised Marilyn McGriff in her 1996 pamphlet “A Guide to Swedish Sites in Kanabec and Isanti Counties” is due to the political beliefs those buried there held. “Today, the cemetery stands abandoned, but it serves as a reminder of former political activities that were outside the mainstream of American life.”
In 1974, the Isanti County Historian reported the socialists in the Elm Park community were active from the turn of the century to the first World War. They built a hall which was used not only for meetings, but community dances and other events.
The Historian story spurred Albert Forsberg of Braham, then in his 80s, to contact the historical society to recall his memories. He attended many dances at the socialist hall. The philosophy of the socialists was “share and share alike”, Forsberg said.
The hall was moved one-fourth mile from its original site to the Elmer Beckman farm where it was attached to the farmhouse and served as part of the home.
The cemetery was carved out of property once owned by Louis Long. Although it is not believed he is buried there, it is thought his wife and father are.
Markers at the cemetery are small cement stones measuring 10 by 4 by 2 inches, nearly hidden in the vegetation. Some are propped up against trees. They form a union with the woods that have grown up amongst them.
The newest gravestone is closest to the road, engraved with the names of Charles F. (1917-1999) and Iva B. (1925-1992) Schwartz.
According to the Historian, “The Socialist Society died out when the founder’s children chose to embrace capitalism as a way of life. Stories related to to Johnson and Duoos suggest it was the wish of the original socialists that they be buried in the Socialist Cemetery, but the children did not subscribe to the political philosophy of their parents and chose to bury their parents in church cemeteries.”

* This article appeared in the 2005 Isanti County Traveler published by the STAR newspaper.