Established in 1925, Acacia Park consists of 75 acres (300,000 m2) of land overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers.

Prior to acquisition by European settlers, Dakota people used the site as a sacred meeting place and burial ground.

The cemetery was founded when Twin Cities members of the Masonic order purchased 125 acres (51 ha) of land at Pilot Knob, Mendota Heights.

Consistent with Masonic tradition, the graves were marked with only a simple, uniform slab bearing the deceased person's name with birth and death dates.

In 2016, the co-mingled remains in the vault were examined at Hamline University and found to include individuals of both Native American and European background, demonstrating that the site has been important in rituals of both communities.