Did you know that one of the oldest family-owned businesses in Minnesota is the Anderson Funeral Home? It was started by a Swedish immigrant, John Anderson, in 1872.
He learned his skills as a carpenter and cabinet maker during his school years in Sweden. When he was 25, he and his young bride, Anna Greta, arrived in New York and made their way to a little settlement called Alexandria (Anna's 2 brothers had moved to Alexandria 2 years earlier). Immediately, John set up shop as a cabinet maker and because of his skill, people would ask him to build a casket when a family member died. A sign that someone had died was a horse drawn carriage with a pole out out the back at his store (the pole was used to measure the length of the deceased).

Last year, the Andersons left the historic location at 7th and Jefferson and moved to a new building on County Road 44. A piece of Alexandria Minnesota history on a high traffic .62 acre corner lot is now for sale for $349,000.

[visit the Anderson Funeral Home web-site]