Calvary Cemetery is the oldest existing Catholic cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Owned by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, it is the final resting place for many of the city's early influential figures. The cemetery was designated a Milwaukee Landmark in 1981.
With 75 acres (30 ha) and approximately 80,000 interments, the Victorian landscape contains many ornate statues, crypts and monuments.
On November 2, 1857, a tract of 55 acres (22 ha) for Calvary Cemetery was consecrated by Archbishop John Henni four miles (6 km) west from the downtown area on Bluemound Road, the first road to be constructed by the Wisconsin Territory. [1]
It was filled with the remains of the 10-acre (4.0 ha) "Old Cemetery," which also contained the remains from Milwaukee's first cemetery established in the First Ward. By 1880 Calvary had 10,307 recorded burials and an additional 20 acres (8.1 ha) were added.
Both the Gothic Revival gate house and Romanesque Revival chapel were designed by architect Erhard Brielmaier, who also designed the Basilica of St. Josaphat. A service building was constructed sometime after 1890 in Queen Anne style using Cream City brick, a distinct light colored brick made locally. The building is still in use today.
The wooden gate house with its triumphal arch and four-story tower was completed in 1897. It is the oldest building on the grounds and was repainted in 2002 when a new storage building was built to the west.
Chapel Hill (originally Jesuit Hill) is one of the highest points in Milwaukee. It is used as a burial site for clergy and members of the various religious orders. Many of the city's early catholic churches such as the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Old St. Mary's and St. Gall's (now Gesu Church) also utilize cemetery grounds. A large Calvary cross stood at the peak until it was replaced with the chapel.
The chapel was built in 1899 using Cream City brick and decorated with stone trim. An arched portico with limestone columns and a rose window set the entrance while three hemispherical apses flank the other three sides. It is crowned by an octagonal tower with a peaked roof and clerestory windows. Dedicated on All Souls Day in 1902, the chapel held mass on Memorial Day and All Souls Day until 1950, when the building's deteriorating condition made this impractical.
Archbishop Henni donated 3 acres (1.2 ha) of land across Bluemound Road to the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin on September 9, 1879 for a monastery and church. In exchange, they were to perform funeral services at the cemetery when parish priests were unable to attend. The cornerstone for Holy Cross Church (now St. Vincent Pallotti East) was placed on October 26, 1879 and dedicated on April 20, 1880. The order blessed the cemetery on All Saints Day.
On May 18, 2006 a construction worker unearthed human remains in the area believed to be the location of the Old Cemetery near 22nd and Michigan streets. Thirteen burials have since been identified, and archaeologists are unsure if they are remnants from the cemetery or an earlier burial site used by a Potawatomi village. [2]
Calvary Cemetery contains a monument dedicated to the approximately 430 people who died with the sinking of the Lady Elgin on Lake Michigan in 1860. Most of those lost in the tragedy were from Milwaukee's Third Ward Irish community and is the second greatest loss of life seen on the Great Lakes.
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Cudahy is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 18,204 at the 2020 census.
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. It encompasses the City of Milwaukee, as well as the counties of Dodge, Fond du Lac, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha, all located in Wisconsin.
Patrick Cudahy Jr. ; March 17, 1849 – July 25, 1919) was an American industrialist in the meat packing business and a patriarch of the Cudahy family.
The Basilica of St. Josaphat, located in the Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, is one of 82 minor basilicas found in the United States. In its grandeur and opulence it is an excellent example of the so-called Polish Cathedral style of church architecture found in the Great Lakes region of North America. Modeled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, it features one of the largest copper domes in the world. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated Milwaukee Landmark.
St. Lawrence Seminary High School is a preparatory high school operated by the Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order at Mount Calvary, Wisconsin. The school is in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. It is an all-male boarding school, with approximately 225 students enrolled in grades 9 through 12. The school's mission is to prepare its male students for vocations in the Catholic Church.
Forest Home Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in the Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is the final resting place of many of the city's famed beer barons, politicians and social elite. Both the cemetery and its Landmark Chapel are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and were declared a Milwaukee Landmark in 1973.
The Menomonee Valley or Menomonee River Valley is a U-shaped land formation along the southern bend of the Menomonee River in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Because of its easy access to Lake Michigan and other waterways, the neighborhood has historically been home to the city's stockyards, rendering plants, shipping, and other heavy industry. It was also a primary source of pollution for the river.
SS. Cyril and Methodius in Lemont - historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, located in Lemont, Illinois.
Erhard Brielmaier was an architect in the United States and Canada from the late 19th century through the early 20th century. He designed and built more churches and hospitals than any other architect.
Lincoln Village is a south side neighborhood within the City of Milwaukee.
The English coastal city of Brighton and Hove, made up of the formerly separate Boroughs of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, has a wide range of cemeteries throughout its urban area. Many were established in the mid-19th century, a time in which the Victorian "cult of death" encouraged extravagant, expensive memorials set in carefully cultivated landscapes which were even recommended as tourist attractions. Some of the largest, such as the Extra Mural Cemetery and the Brighton and Preston Cemetery, were set in particularly impressive natural landscapes. Brighton and Hove City Council, the local authority responsible for public services in the city, manages seven cemeteries, one of which also has the city's main crematorium. An eighth cemetery and a second crematorium are owned by a private company. Many cemeteries are full and no longer accept new burials. The council maintains administrative offices and a mortuary at the Woodvale Cemetery, and employs a coroner and support staff.
The St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church in Johnsburg in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin. The church is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
St. George Melkite Catholic Church is a Melkite Greek Catholic Church, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The church was built in 1917 to serve the needs of the Syrian-Lebanese community who migrated to Milwaukee after the Chicago World's Fair of 1892. It is the second oldest Melkite church in the United States.
Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church Complex is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 for its architectural significance.
The Lohnam Funeral Home and Livery Stable are located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1988, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. According to its application, it is an "example of a 19th century commercial livery stable in the day".
Durward's Glen is a historic property located in the town of Caledonia, Columbia County, Wisconsin, northeast of the village of Merrimac. The land encompasses a ravine nestled between steep bluffs, part of the Baraboo Bluffs adjoining the Wisconsin River. Nature trails wind throughout the area.
John Luick was the founder of Luick Ice Cream, which later became part of Sealtest Dairy.
Clotilde Elizabeth Brielmaier, sometimes called "Lottie" Brielmaier, was a German-American religious painter, specializing in portraits and church murals. She was the daughter of the famous Milwaukee architect Erhard Brielmaier and often collaborated with her family members on projects. She spent several years, as many as twenty, studying at the art centers of Europe including Munich and Rome. She is said to be the first female artist to establish her own studio in the United States, which was located in the now demolished University Building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
