Farm Horizons
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Oct. 10, 2016
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Page 30
Piper Cemetery hidden
in Lester Prairie
By Caleb Sebora
Located on the edge of town, behind a building and
hiding in the overgrowth of trees and grass, is perched a
small, almost unnoticeable fence line. It’s bent and rusting, with a small tree growing right in the center of its
encapsulation. A person wouldn’t know it was there, unless they were looking for it.
But, if a person were looking for it, they might know
that inside that little bent-up and rusty fence lies a cemetery.
Piper Cemetery is small burial site, encompassing 13
graves and even fewer headstones to mark them. Located on the eastern side of Lester Prairie, the graveyard
is right off of County Road 9, along the south side of
Central Avenue. It lies directly behind Jerry’s Transmission Services, and right across the street from Casey’s
General Store.
Piper Cemetery does not have an official creation
date. The unofficial start of the cemetery began with the
death of John Piper, who was born in 1796, and died in
1857 – and who the cemetery is named after.
While there is no official affiliation with any church,
most of the members of the small graveyard w