Osseo’s Niggler Cemetery Turns 150, Celebration Sunday

The city of Osseo traces its roots to a large contingent of German Catholics. Many of those early settlers are buried in Saint Vincent Cemetery in the far northeast corner of the city.

But in 1868, a sect of German free thinkers decided it needed a cemetery for everyone else.

Niggler Cemetery Established

Considered one of the most serene spots in Osseo, they established the cemetery on nearly four-and-a-half acres of land in the southwest corner of the city.

“They established this cemetery so that it would accept people of all faiths of all denominations whether they were religious or not,” said Larry Phenow, Niggler Cemetery Association president.

Rudolf Niggler, one of the early settlers in the area, gave a donation to expand the cemetery. Today, the list of names at the cemetery are a who’s who of Osseo history.

“We have Osseo’s longest term mayor, which was Victoria Joyner. She was a mayor for 54 years,” said Phenow.

150th Anniversary Celebration

The cemetery celebrates its 150th anniversary this Sunday. It runs from 2 to 4 p.m. with a short program at 3 p.m.

“We’ll have some activities to encourage people to wander around and learn a little bit about the cemetery,” said Phenow.

Osseo