Doors Open at Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum

We know there's a lot to see during Doors Open, but plan for a few hours at Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum!

Check out these four highlights, created just for Doors Open visitors:

• Made from Lake Superior sandstone, the Forest Home chapel was designed by the architectural firm Ferry & Clas, also known for Milwaukee's Central Library and the Pabst Mansion. The structure was built by the Bentley Co., builders of the Tripoli Shrine and the North Point Water Tower. Step inside to see the craftsmanship that made Milwaukee famous at the turn of the 20th century - and the unique double conservatories on both sides of the chapel. Don't misse the tile sinks in the bathrooms!
• Visitors can go into the Upper Midwest’s first crematory, built underneath the chapel in 1896 and in use for 100 years. See the receiving vault where bodies (including that of Capt. Frederic Pabst) were kept until the ground thawed, the room where caskets were lowered from the chapel, the family waiting room and the cremation chamber with two retorts and 1950s cremulator.

• Also open for Doors Open visitors: the cemetery office, with its original vaults that protect the cemetery's original hand-written records - still used today. Visitors can find out how to locate graves using copies of the actual records.
• Back by popular demand - special ticketed Doors Open cemetery bike tour! Pump up your tires, oil your chain and meet at the Halls of History at 10 am for a 1.5-hour riding tour - suitable for all skill levels. Registration is required and will be available in early September.

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 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.

Host or Publisher Forest Home Historic Preservation Assoc.