Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum

Landmark Chapel
Tour a Milwaukee masterpiece just inside Forest Home’s main entrance. The Landmark Chapel is a Gothic Revival gem, designed by Ferry & Clas, the architectural firm that brought us the Pabst Mansion and Central Library. Bentley Co., of Tripoli Shrine Center and North Point Water Tower fame, built the chapel using Lake Superior sandstone.

Enjoy the natural glow of the chapel’s double conservatories. Seat yourself in pews that have welcomed mourners and churchgoers since 1892. The bathrooms are small but stunning, featuring tile sinks and decorative doors.

Crematorium
Explore Victorian-era death culture in the chapel crematorium. A collaboration between the Milwaukee Cremation Society and cemetery, Forest Home’s crematorium was the first in the Upper Midwest. Operating from 1896 to 1996, this pristine historical structure is only open to the public during Doors Open.

This tour goes deep. Visit the receiving vault where bodies remained until the ground thawed and the retort room where caskets were lowered from chapel to crematory. The family waiting area or “witness room” is open, and the tour ends in the crematorium chamber, with two retorts and a fifties-era cremulator. 
Find-a-Grave Challenge
Last year’s find-a-grave challenge and cemetery scavenger hunt were a hit and it will be back for Doors Open 2026. Try to beat the 2025 find-a-grave record. A mother-son duo found all the names in less than two hours!