JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The North Dakota State Hospital is hosting its first ever memorial service on Tuesday, Nov. 16, at noon to honor and remember individuals who are buried in the hospital’s cemetery.

Community members are invited to attend.

The outdoor service will be led by Father Joe Barret in the cemetery, which is located about a half mile south of the hospital grounds off of 37th St. S.E., in rural Stutsman County. The service is expected to last about 30 to 40 minutes.

Hospital officials expect this memorial service to be a yearly event.

The state hospital’s original one-acre cemetery was established in 1886, one year after the hospital opened. The cemetery closed in 1899 when a nearby 50-acre cemetery opened that now has about 2,000 gravestones.