Private Tours

Meet many of the 26 mayors at Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum including two of Milwaukee’s founders. The tour includes names like Walker, Kilbourn, Ludington, Peck, and Zeidler. Find out who Milwaukee’s second mayor was after Juneau’s term was over. See the large ornate and very simple monuments these mayors had. Learn about the Socialist Party and the role Milwaukee’s socialist Mayors had for over 30 years.

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Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum is the final resting place of numerous artists and artisans. On this tour, you’ll visit the graves and learn about the lives and livelihoods of the men and women whose notable talents impacted Milwaukee’s art scene. Artists featured include, Alexander Marquis, Emily Groom, Susan Stuart Frackleton, Charles Hermann, Lucia Stern, George Mann Niedecken, Mary Nohl, and John Marr.

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An informative look into Milwaukee’s history through the stories of the women buried at Forest Home. Mabel Watson Raimey, Mathilde Anneke, Dr. Laura Ross Wolcott, Elizabeth Plankinton, Gertrude Puelicher, Alice Chester, Dickie Chapelle, and Ardie Clark Halyard are just a few of the remarkable women whose accomplishments will be highlighted in the tour. This is a unique look into Milwaukee’s past that you will truly enjoy!

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Wisconsin was the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution on June 10, 1919. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of this event, and the campaign for women’s suffrage, join Anita Pietrykowski in this walking tour to explore the history of the suffrage movement, visits graves, and recount the interesting stories of the Milwaukee suffragists.

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Milwaukee Industrialists by Paul Haubrich will share Milwaukee’s great Industrial history. This tour will focus on many of the engineering feats that were accomplished by the likes of Allis, Nordberg, Harnischfeger, Vilter and many more.

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Not as Famous, Yet Amazing Milwaukeeans by Robert Giese showcases other Famous Milwaukeeans who have made an impact on Milwaukee history, from the “Guinness Book of Records” to the first female photographer that was in harm’s way during World War II.

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Milwaukee Abolitionists by Anita Pietrykowski who will visit gravesites, review the history of the Milwaukee abolitionist movement and tell the significant stories of Caroline Quarlls and Joshua Glover, two escaped slaves, whose paths to freedom were closely tied to Milwaukee. Anita is a great storyteller and her tours on the impact of women in Milwaukee and their historical importance have proven to be very popular.

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The Streets and Parks of Milwaukee by Sally Merrell will visit the gravesites and tell stories of Milwaukeeans who have streets and parks named for them. This will include such names as Lapham, Gillespie, Brown, Burnham, Layton, Zeidler and Halyard.

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A journey of Playing in Milwaukee’s Past. Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum and the Girl Scouts of Southeast Wisconsin are proud to partner to share in a historical tour that helps young scouts discover and understand women’s accomplishments and contributions to Milwaukee’s past that are frequently left out of the books. The tour highlights women involved in the Underground Railroad, the Soldier’s Home, Children’s Hospital, Schlitz Brewery, North Point Lighthouse, and more.

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The role of the German immigrant played a special role in Milwaukee history. German Milwaukee sometimes referred to as the “German Athens” had a strong impact upon the industrial and political life of Milwaukee. Names such as Falk, Usinger, Berger, Anneke, Krug, Zeidler and others are visited on this tour.

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A tour that highlights many of the famous names and business leaders in Milwaukee, it is sometimes referred to as “the streets of Milwaukee” because so many streets were named after these community leaders. A tour that covers a wide range of roles and lives of Milwaukeeans whose names we have all heard, but frequently don’t know.

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During the Victorian era, symbolism played an important role in telling stories about people’s lives and motivations. Use of flowers, religious symbols, expression of mourning and monument designs are explored to better understand the messages and expression of individuals at rest in Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum . Forest Home is considered one of the best “monumental cemeteries” in the Midwest.

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This unique tour highlights the lives, work and achievements of contemporary women buried at Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum. Learn about an author, actress, war photojournalist, Works Progress Administration project coordinator, philanthropist, television journalist, Air Force service pilot, Girl Scouts founder, and more. Come and honor the lives of fascinating women while enjoying a beautiful, historic cemetery.

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The contributions of women in shaping the early history of Milwaukee are frequently untold in history books. Well, not any longer! Come and learn about lives of Milwaukee women involved in The Underground Railroad, The Soldier’s Home at Wood, Children’s Hospital, The Woman’s Club of Wisconsin, North Point Lighthouse, Schlitz Brewery and the accomplishments of many more!

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This tour explores the history of the cemetery and visits the graves of many early Milwaukeeans who helped build Milwaukee in the 1800s. Names like Layton, Marshall, Ilsley, Pfister, Mitchell, Schlitz, Pabst and many more are covered in this tour. This is the best tour for a first time visitor to the cemetery.

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All Civil War buffs and Veterans will enjoy the stories of some of the almost 1,000+ Civil War Veterans buried at Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum. The tour covers all the ranks from drummer boys to Generals and provides a brief history of each, their role in the war. This tour has two parts and visitors should plan on taking both to gain the full impact of these marvelous stories of Civil War Veterans.

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