By Sonjie Johnson
If you walk or run Como Lake regularly, sooner or later you will sit on one of the 40+ benches. If you’re a curious person, you might notice an inscription plaque at the side.
Whether in cemeteries or beside park benches, memorials for those we’ve lost tell a story, the best kind of story, one that spins forward into the viewer’s imagination. The plaque beside bench 4 (south from the pavilion) is a great example.
In the daytime we can’t see the stars
-yet they exist.
In the nighttime we can’t see the sun
-yet it exists.
When we are apart, you can’t see my love
-yet it is there, always.
The story of a young loss and clearly beloved.
Over the months, I read every plaque at Como Lake, and I wanted to know more. When and which one was the first memorial placed? How many are there? Easy Google find, right? Not so. Thus, began a (so far) three-year search for the answers.
As the author of The Complete History of Como Park, an excellent and thoroughly researched history, surely Tim Gadbad would know. He did not, but he referred me to Chloe Sterk.
As the great granddaughter of Frederick Nussbaumer, the early and transformational superintendent of Como Park, Chloe is the repository of Como Park oral history. She was a delight, and I ended up writing a story about her that had nothing to do with park benches, because she was also stumped.
How about Mike Ireland, a long-time Como Park resident and active contributor to all things Como Lake? Mike told me the cost to purchase a bench memorial and how to go about it. But he had no clues as to the history I was seeking.
He sent me on to Michael-jon Pease, the Executive Director of the St. Paul Conservancy, an organization that oversees all St. Paul Parks. Michael-jon met with me and we had a pleasant talk, but he was unaware of the specifics of Como Park benches or their historical information.
Given the copious amount of early Como Park history, I was perplexed that none of the people I talked to or met with had an accurate record or location of each bench. Even more puzzling – nothing online. Since I couldn’t find that historical data, at least I could take a picture of and document the placement of each current memorial bench, which I did.
Last summer, I provided Michael-jon Pease and Mike Ireland with pictures of each bench and a visual map marking their locations. 39 benches/memorials. (Since then, several more have been added.)
Having spent a considerable amount of unproductive time searching for the historical data, I should just give up. But it’s like that jigsaw puzzle, where you’re totally stumped, but you can’t leave it In this case, I have a bunch of pieces but some are missing from the box.
Many Como Park residents have deep ties to the community. Is it possible that someone has a box of old newspapers that feature a bench or two, or might even remember earlier benches? Or know someone who does? Or know of a resource I’ve missed?
This turned out to be a story about no story, only an unsolved mystery. At least so far.
Have a clue or a suggestion about a particular memorial bench? Email district10@district10comopak.org.
Do you know some interesting history about your home, your neighbor or about the Como neighborhood? Anyone is welcome to do an interview, share historic photos or do a write up for the Know Your Como segment of our newsletter! For more information on how to submit go to our Know Your Como page.