Calvary Cemetery is the oldest existing

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

cemetery in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

. 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 and approximately 80,000 interments, the Victorian landscape contains many ornate statues, crypts and monuments.

History

On November 2, 1857, a tract of for Calvary Cemetery was consecrated by Archbishop

John Henni John Martin Henni (June 15, 1805 – September 7, 1881) was a Swiss-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1843 until his death in 1881. Biography Early life a ...

four miles (6 km) west from the downtown area on Bluemound Road, the first road to be constructed by the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

.St. Vincent Pallotti Parish history
, ''Archdiocese of Milwaukee,'' accessed July 17, 2008. It was filled with the remains of the "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 were added. Both the Gothic Revival gate house and

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

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 Cream City brick is a cream or light yellow-colored brick made from a clay found around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the Menomonee River Valley and on the western banks of Lake Michigan. These bricks were one of the most common building materials u ...

, a distinct light colored brick made locally. The building is still in use today. The wooden gate house with its

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, cro ...

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

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

s flank the other three sides. It is crowned by an octagonal tower with a peaked roof and clerestory windows. Dedicated on

All Souls Day All Souls' Day, also called ''The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed'', is a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithful departed, observed by certain Christian denominations on 2 November. Through prayer, intercessions, alms and ...

in 1902, the chapel held mass on

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

and All Souls Day until 1950, when the building's deteriorating condition made this impractical. Archbishop Henni donated 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.Uncovering a mystery of early residents
, ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,'' July 1, 2006.

Notable interments

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 Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

community and is the second greatest loss of life seen on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

. * John Black, 24th mayor of Milwaukee, member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

and Senate * Erhard Brielmaier, noted architect who also designed the Basilica of St. Josaphat * William Cary, elected to the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

representing Wisconsin's 4th District * Patrick Cudahy, industrialist and founder of the Patrick Cudahy meat packing company * Peter Deuster, elected to the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

, and

Patrick Drew Patrick Drew (February 21, 1832November 1, 1903) was an Irish American immigrant, construction contractor, and Democratic politician. He served three terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the city of Milwaukee. Biography Drew was ...

, served in the

Wisconsin State Legislature The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republ ...

* Adrian Hoecken, Dutch Jezuit missionary among the Native Americans * Robert Johnston, founder of the American Biscuit Company, a precursor to

Nabisco Nabisco (, abbreviated from the earlier name National Biscuit Company) is an American manufacturer of cookies and snacks headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey. The company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Mondelēz International. Nabisco's ...

* Solomon Juneau, co-founder of the City of Milwaukee and its first mayor *

Philipp Jung Philipp Jung (December 23, 1845 – July 10, 1911) was a German immigrant to the United States who became a prominent businessman in Wisconsin. Personal life Jung was born on December 23, 1845 in Dorn-Assenheim, Hesse-Darmstadt, which today is a ...

, early brewer whose business was acquired by

Pabst Brewing Company The Pabst Brewing Company () is an American company that dates its origins to a brewing company founded in 1844 by Jacob Best and was, by 1889, named after Frederick Pabst. It is currently a holding company which contracts the brewing of over ...

* Matthew Keenan, local politician who helped to establish the Old Soldiers' Home *

Edward Keogh Edward Keogh (May 5, 1835December 1, 1898) was an Irish American immigrant, printer, Democratic politician, and pioneer settler of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served 17 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly between 1860 and 1895, representing Mil ...

, 37th

speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly The Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly is the presiding officer of the Wisconsin State Assembly, the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Article IV of the Constitution of Wisconsin, ratified in 1848, establishes the legislature and s ...

, represented Milwaukee in the Assembly for 13 terms. * John Luick, founder of the Luick Ice Cream company *

Frederick Miller Frederick Edward John Miller (November 24, 1824 – May 11, 1888) was a brewery owner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Born as ''Friedrich Eduard Johannes Müller'' in Riedlingen, Württemberg, he founded the Miller Brewing Company at the Plank Road Br ...

, founder of the

Miller Brewing Company The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the ...

* Casper Sanger, businessman and representative in the

Wisconsin Legislature The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republica ...

br>
* William H. Timlin, justice of the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

* George Weissleder, elected to the Wisconsin State Senate and the Wisconsin State Assembly *

Joseph Anthony Murphy Joseph Anthony Murphy was born in Ireland but raised in Chicago. He became a Society of Jesus, Jesuit priest and served, inter alia, as dean of the liberal arts college at Marquette University for eleven years and as Vicar Apostolic for the Catholi ...

, Jesuit Priest, Titular Bishop of Birtha, and Dean of College of Arts and Sciences at Marquette University

Sources

Calvary Cemetery

List of notable people at Calvary
(PDF)
Historic Preservation Commission Study
(PDF)

External links

Calvary CemeteryCalvary Cemetery BurialsFriends of Calvary Cemetery
* {{Coord, 43.03398, -87.98196, type:landmark_region:US-WI, display=title Cemeteries in Wisconsin Buildings and structures in Milwaukee Geography of Milwaukee Historic American Landscapes Survey in Wisconsin Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee Roman Catholic cemeteries in Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Milwaukee Protected areas of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin 1857 establishments in Wisconsin

History

Notable interments

See also

Sources

External links