Fairview Mausoleum was constructed by George L. Thomas in 1912 and existed until
1996. Located at 6316 W. Fairview Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Fairview served as
a community mausoleum. In 1952, the owners filed for bankruptcy and the mausoleum
fell into disrepair until it was finally condemned in 1996. In 1994, Fairview
Mausoleum Maintenance Co. Inc. filed a lawsuit to force the City of Milwaukee to
take over the responsibility of the mausoleum grounds. The company stated that they
had not been able to take proper care of the grounds for ten years and the Fairview
Mausoleum Trust was financially unable to continue maintenance. This lawsuit led to
the eventual takeover of grounds operations by the City of Milwaukee. All 1,000
human remains were transferred from Fairview Mausoleum to the Brett Funeral Home and
re-interred in the Graceland Cemetery between December 1996 and May 1997. Although
Fairview Mausoleum no longer exists, a pair of large stone pillars placed in Section
11 of the Graceland Cemetery mark the new resting place of those formerly interred
at “Fairview Mausoleum”.
Forest Home Cemetery was founded in 1850. Originally founded with 72 acres of
coverage, it has since expanded to about 200 acres and is the final resting place of
a number of Milwaukee’s most prominent citizens. Located at 2405 West Forest Home
Avenue, the cemetery features gently rolling hills and mature trees. Forest Home
Cemetery is an official Milwaukee landmark and is listed on the National Registry of
Historic Places.
The Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society was officially incorporated in late 1971 and
had its first meeting in 1972 working as an affiliate of the Wisconsin Historical
Society. In the late 1950s, it began as a handful of Wisconsin researchers working
with the State Historical Society with the purpose of recording all the cemeteries
in the state. During these early years, the group was less formal and sometimes
referred to as the Old Cemetery Society.
The West Granville Cemetery is located in the far northwest corner of Milwaukee
County and is also one of the oldest cemeteries in the county. The first burials
took place in the 1840s and the cemetery was incorporated in 1852. Many of the early
settlers of the Granville area are buried here. The Evangelical and Reformed Church
of Granville was founded in 1847 and was located south of the cemetery. It is now
known as the Salem Lutheran (or Landmark) Church and is across the street from the
cemetery.
