Old Frontenac

We did not know what to expect when we went for a drive through Old Frontenac, Minnesota. To our delight and surprise we discovered a very interesting place. This old town is on the National Register of Historic Places, tucked away off Highway 61, along Lake Pepin, where there are old historic houses, unpaved streets, and on this day, American Flag buntings hanging off the large porches. It was fun to drive around and envision what life was like when this town was in its heyday back in the 1800’s; imagining who lived there, in all those large, and many of them restored, country homes.

After doing some research when I got back home I learned of this town’s national historic significance and found information on many of the houses. I now want to return to Old Frontenac with stories in hand.

Another fun discovery on our drive through this historic town was the Old Frontenac Cemetery…an inviting road: dirt, one-lane, tree-lined and canopied, with decaying tombstones on both sides…a few with gates surrounding the grave markers; some well-kept and others a tangled mess of overgrown weeds.

As I grow older I find myself intrigued by cemeteries and enjoy exploring the older ones. We have been known to stop for a picnic lunch at random cemeteries on our bike rides…they can be very interesting, picturesque and peaceful.

Although we didn’t have a picnic at the Old Frontenac Cemetery it captivated us with its unusual types of grave markers, its several tombstones surrounded by fences, and one mysterious tombstone all by itself, enclosed by a iron fence with the gate partially swung open and the plot overgrown with tall weeds… do-do do-do, do-do do-do (to the tune of The Twilight Zone theme sound.)