Cemetery- 45 and Capital Dr.

[cerberus]

Recently I found a small cemetery on Capital Dr. in Wauwatosa. It is right next to HWY 45. Does anybody know the name of it or any history regarding it?

[bobbybuka]

to the West of 45 and just South of Capitol Drive is the Wisconsin Memorial Park Cemetery....I think that's a fairly large cemetery, though...

www.wisconsinmemorialpark.com/location/about/facility.html

-just to the East of 45 (and North of Capitol Drive) is the Pine Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery....

www.pinelawn.net/

[bobbybuka]

I'M SORRY CERBERUS!!!!!

I just couldn't get your post out of my head....both "Wisconsin Memorial" and "Pine Lawn" are pretty big cemeteries! (with their names right on the gates and all of that) - the reason why your question "haunted" me was because you said a "small cemetery" and you didn't have any info on it....so I've just been googling for the last half hour since I made that last comment.

YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT "OAKHILL CEMETERY" - !!!!

-it's all one word...not to be confused with "Oak Hill Cemetery" in Brookfield which is about a mile away...Oakhill is actually right across Capitol Drive from the golf course...in the "little menomonee river parkway" - right?

I've managed to find a few different mentions of it:

www.daddezio.com/cemetery/junction/CJ-WI-007.html

(that where I first found the name and location)

linkstothepast.com/milwaukee/105art.php

(but with this one, I'm not sure if they are talking about "Oakhill" (your cemetery) or "Oak Hill")


anyway, I'll see if I can find anything "interesting" about this place!!!

[bobbybuka]

ok - I probably should get some other work done today - but that "links to the past" site is definitely talking about the cemetery that you're talking about, Cerberus....and they spell it "Oak Hill" (two words) but when you try to google that, you just get info for the "Oak Hill Cemetery" in Brookfield.

here's their main article on your cemetery:

www.linkstothepast.com/milwaukee/105.php

-and it says "the cemetery records were destroyed in a fire in 1912" but goes on to say that the names on the gravestones were "transcribed" and it lists as many of the names as they could get of the people who are buried there.

"The oldest grave belongs to Julia Knapp, who died in 1848."

I just know she's got to be haunting the place!

[cerberus]

thank you much for the reply, my apologies that I didn't respond sooner. I've been tied up with other things for the past few days.

I'll do some digging around online and see if I can find any more info regarding it. Once again, thank you.

[hitman97]

Eerie story.....

I went to this particular cemetery in May 2002 and found the final resting place of Oscar "Happy" Felsch, who died in 1964. He is best remembered for being one of the eight members of the "Black Sox" of 1919, who threw the World Series. Well, he's in one of the mausoleums, and I took a few moments to pay my respects and take a picture.

After I left, I drove over to Miller Park and watched a baseball game. This was my first game at Miller Park, and my first baseball game in Milwaukee. ANOTHER THING: This was my first trip to Milwaukee since my divorce from my wife (who was from Milwaukee), so I was already driving cautiously....I hate the traffic up there because they drive like maniacs, almost as bad as Chicago on some days, and those kinds of traffic make me nervous enough.
Well, I left after the 7th inning stretch and got out to my car, and drove off. I was halfway through the parking lot when someone speeding through the lot crashed into my right front fender and crippled my car. Yeah, it's probably one of those "freak" things that just happened. But with my visit to the graveyard earlier in the day, you wonder deep down.....

[cerberus]

thats just plain creepy....

[swigs]

hi all. ive been to all three. including the small one right next to the freeway.

i cant remember if it was 1 or 2 years ago a young man shot himself in pinelawn cemetery. the cops were looking for him because his mother reported him missing and suicidal. they didnt get to him in time. we checked the place out afterward and got nothing. but the cops came through and chased us out of there. wisconsin memorial is HUGE. i drive past it every day to and from work. never caught anything there either.

the small cemetery next to 45 is very old and very small. there is sign outside of it that tells a little story about the people there. we didnt catch anything there either. but with the freeway noise it was hard to listen to recordings.
maybe you all will have better luck

thanks
Lacey

[cerberus]

never knew that about Pinelawn. I was just there recently too...

[bobbybuka]

Hey cerberus - no problem about not replying sooner, I certainly don't check back here extremely often either - and I'm glad I was able to find "something" about this cemetery...but I really wasn't able to find anything else that specifically spoke of this "Oak Hill" or "Oakhill" Cemetery. It sounds like a very interesting little cemetery, though...it's too bad it's practically under the on-ramp, but also kind of cool that it wasn't destroyed...

I know I've driven that stretch of Capitol Drive dozens of times, and I never realized this cemetery was even there.

-and Hi to "swigs" - and everyone else!

[cerberus]

I pass that way pretty often....driven by it hundreds of times between trips to Mayfair or the Pabst Theater for Gordon Lightfoot concerts. Either way, i've wondered about it since I was a kid. I definitely need to go check it out soon.

[carol]

To all that have inquired about that small cemetery near Hwy. 45. It is called Oak Hill Cemetery.

I was there this afternoon, Sunday, July 25th, 2010, the day of this month's full moon. It IS right next to the ramp turning onto Hwy 45 going north. When driving up that ramp, SLOW down so you can turn into the driveway. Only way in/out is from a very narrow driveway with a rock wall on both sides.....a SUV or van would have a hard time getting through. Also, there is a heavy rusted chain across the entrance that can be removed from the right side to allow entry.

One acre of land with many broken headstones. Beyond the wooden fence that faces north are also broken headstones. The area is very hilly so at night it could be dangerous walking around. EMF meter registered 3.0 out of 5.0 in many spots. Took several pix with my trusty Canon 35 mm and will have that developed in two weeks. Too noisy from highway and cars to record any possible EVPs. Interesting cemetery with the pioneers of Wauwatosa, WI buried there including some soldiers who fought during 1861-1865.

Full of mosquitos....bug spray highly recommended!