Saturday, June 3, 2023 | Country Acres • Page 1
Country Acres Saturday, June 3, 2023
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 10, Edition 08
A place built twice with
hope , faith Grasshopper Chapel still provides comfort BY JAN LEFEBVRE | STAFF WRITER
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OLD SPRING – While heading north through Cold Spring on Highway 23, there is a small, understated sign that reads “Grasshopper Chapel” with an arrow pointing right. The two words seem mismatched – the first conjuring the image of a pesky – even creepy – insect, the second the image of a peaceful place for quiet contemplation. The sign leads to other signs etched in granite markers paving a path up Pilgrimage Road, wrapping around a hillside lush with trees. The road ends at a clearing where a small granite chapel and other structures made of rock stand among green grass and flower beds, the whole site neat and manicured but maintaining a natural feel. The chapel, officially named Assumption Chapel, is the second one
to stand on the site. The first, built in 1877 and made of wood, was destroyed by a tornado in 1894. The site sat vacant until the current chapel was rebuilt in 1951. It has been maintained ever since and holds several special Masses throughout the summer. The site is open all day, every day, but it is not necessarily accessible by car after the first snowfall and through the spring thaw each year because the road is not plowed in winter. On a recent Sunday, May 21, the chapel was bathed in warm, dappled sunshine, and the site had several visitors. One was Chuck Simon, who lives in St. Cloud. He said he visited Grasshopper Chapel while growing up. “This is great, old memories here for me,” he said. “Back in the 1960s and 1970s, we were brought here on
Grasshopper Chapel page 2 PHOTOS BY JAN LEFEBVRE
(Top, right) Chuck Simon stops by to visit Grasshopper Chapel May 21 on the chapel’s grounds in Cold Spring. Simon’s family often visited the chapel when he was growing up, and he visits the site on Sunday drives. (Right) Grasshopper Chapel is shaded by trees May 21 on its site in Cold Spring. The building was constructed in 1951 at the place where the original chapel was destroyed by a tornado in 1894.
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