Fundraiser for Potter’s Field - May 17th

By David K. Williams

In collaboration with Menomonie Moose Lodge, the Friends of Potter’s Field will

hold a charcoal chicken dinner fundraiser on May 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the

Moose Lodge, 720 19th Avenue in Menomonie.

The Friends of Potter’s Field have been working to research burials and restore

and maintain the cemetery for the past dozen years. Potter’s Field was the final

resting place for Dunn County’s indigent and unlucky citizens from 1890 through

1952. Many of the burials are of people who had resided at the Dunn County

Poor Farm or the Dunn County Asylum for the Chronic Insane. Research has

documented at least 110 burials, including at least six veterans.

Funds raised at the chicken dinner will be used for ongoing maintenance, and

toward providing a state historical marker along Highways 12/29 about Potter’s

Field.

The chicken dinner, which costs $15 per person, includes a quarter

chicken, cheesy potatoes, coleslaw and dessert. Board members of the Friends

of Potter’s Field will be present to answer questions and help serve the dinner.