Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainWinona's oldest cemetery, established 1862, with a Potter's Field holding 1,200 indigent and unidentified burials — and annual ghost tours through its haunted mausoleums
920 W 5th St, Winona, MN 55987
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Cemetery grounds free to visit; ghost tour $10 adults / $6 members
Access
Wheelchair OK
Maintained cemetery grounds; some hillside areas with uneven terrain near mausoleums
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1862 · Oldest cemetery in Winona (established 1862) · Potter's Field with 1,200 indigent and unidentified burials (1864–1939) · Only known Revolutionary War soldier buried in Minnesota · Winona red light district era burials · Elaborate Victorian mausoleum architecture
Woodlawn Cemetery was established in 1862 and received its first recorded burial — John Lowe — in the autumn of that year, making it the oldest cemetery in Winona. The Woodlawn Cemetery Association, a 501(c)(13) non-profit entity, has managed the grounds since E.D. Williams served as its first president and superintendent through 1872.
The cemetery now encompasses approximately 224 acres, with around 60 acres maintained as active burial grounds. More than 22,000 interments have been recorded, establishing it as the largest public cemetery within city limits. Notable burials include Stephen Taylor, documented as the only known Revolutionary War soldier interred in Minnesota, as well as members of prominent Winona families including the Watkins, Lamberton, Huff, and Wanek families.
The Potter's Field section, designated for single burials of indigent and unidentified persons, holds approximately 1,200 burials from 1864 through 1939. This period overlaps substantially with Winona's documented red light district era, and the Winona Post has connected the Potter's Field to the unidentified burials of individuals from that period. Victims of river drownings and railway accidents were also interred here. The cemetery's hillside mausoleums, including at least one described as haunted in local accounts, are the architectural centerpieces of the grounds.
Sources
Woodlawn Cemetery's paranormal reputation centers primarily on its mausoleums, with at least one of the hillside structures specifically described in local accounts as haunted. The cemetery's official website notes the presence of these elaborate mausoleums and describes the grounds in terms that have made it a natural anchor for Winona's ghost tour circuit.
The Winona County Historical Society has incorporated Woodlawn into its Haunted History Walking Tour, running annually in October. The tour covers ghost stories tied to the cemetery's darker history, including the Potter's Field and its approximately 1,200 burials of individuals whose identities and circumstances often went unrecorded. The Winona Post has documented the connection between the Potter's Field and the city's red light district era, including potential burials of women who died during that period.
The combination of Victorian-era mausoleum architecture, an expansive hillside hillside crypt, and a historically understudied burial section has made Woodlawn one of the more documented paranormal sites in Winona's geography, with organized tour programming sustaining interest across generations.
Walk 224 acres of grounds that include over 22,000 interments, elaborately carved mausoleums, and the Potter's Field section with approximately 1,200 burials of indigent and unidentified persons from 1864 to 1939. The only known Revolutionary War soldier buried in Minnesota, Stephen Taylor, is interred here.
Annual fall walking tour run by the Winona County Historical Society, covering ghost stories, dark local history, and the cemetery's most atmospheric locations including mausoleums and the Potter's Field. Meet at main entrance; space limited. Reserve by calling 507-454-2723.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Aerial survey · USDA NAIPSaint Joseph, MO
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