Walking tour: Milwaukee History

Walking tour: Milwaukee History

This free tour explores the history of the cemetery and visits the graves of many early Milwaukeeans who helped build Milwaukee in the 1800s

By Forest Home Historic Preservation Association

Date and time

Monday, May 27 · 2:30 - 4pm CDT

Location

Forest Home Cemetery

2405 West Forest Home Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53215

About this event

  • 1 hour 30 minutes

Commemorate Memorial Day and honor those buried at Forest Home Cemetery with this free tour. Learn how Forest Home evolved along with the city on this original cemetery tour with historian, educator and author Paul Haubrich. This general cemetery overview is open to the public and features some of the prominent Milwaukeeans who helped build this city in the 1800s.

Forest Home Cemetery is proud to offer this free history tour as part of our Memorial Day commemorative event.

Tour includes:*

  • Frederick Layton
  • Samuel Marshall
  • Charles Ilsley
  • Guido Pfister
  • Alexander Mitchell
  • Joseph Schlitz
  • Capt. Frederick Pabst

*Subject to change

PLEASE READ

  • This 1.5-mile walking tour moves at a brisk pace over uneven cemetery roads and grounds. Please wear comfortable footwear and watch your step!
  • We expect many people on this tour, so try to stick together and within earshot of your tour guide.
  • This tour will run rain or shine and will only be canceled in the event of a dangerous weather event. Tickets are non-refundable.
  • Please meet at Halls of History (next to the main office) about 10 minutes before your tour.
  • Parking is free and available on the cemetery grounds. To control traffic, some roads will be blocked; please don't move the barriers or drive on the grass.
  • After your tour, please take a moment to review us on TripAdvisor.
  • Forest Home Cemetery offers more than 20 unique tours and many events throughout the summer. Check them out on Eventbrite, foresthomecemetery.com or our Facebook page.

ABOUT FOREST HOME CEMETERY & ARBORETUM

Established in 1850, Forest Home Cemetery is Milwaukee’s oldest operating cemetery, open to all since its inception. Forest Home Cemetery is on the National Registry of Historic Places and is the finest example of a Victorian-era rural garden cemetery in the Upper Midwest.

In 2021, Forest Home became the city’s first accredited arboretum, Milwaukee’s largest green space with more 2,600 trees on nearly 200 acres.

Our 189 acres are open daily to the public. Leashed dogs, jogging, strollers and bicycles are welcome. Each year, we host public and private historical and nature-based tours and wellness events, birding opportunities, Doors Open, a Memorial Day event, a Dia de los Muertos 5K and festival and our new Spirits of the Silent City after-dark historical tours. Sign up for our newsletter on the website and follow us on Facebook and Instagram (use #foresthomecemetery) so you don’t miss any of our tours and events!

If you enjoy our beautiful space, stay longer! Stop in the office Monday-Friday 8-4:30 and Saturday 10-3:30 or call a counselor (414) 645-2632 to find out about our many burial options.

Organized by

Open daily for self-guided tours and leisure activities.

Joggers, dog walkers, bicyclists and birders are all welcome. Unique public tours and events are offered throughout the year, with all proceeds benefiting the Forest Home Historic Preservation Association. Stay connected at ForestHomeCemetery.com