Who’s Buried in Milwaukee?

by

Many people think cemeteries are haunted, and maybe that’s true, but by day they contain important pieces of Milwaukee’s history. The city’s legendary brewing magnates—Jacob Best, Valentin Blatz, Gottlieb Heileman, Frederick Miller, Frederick Pabst, and August Uihlein—are interred at Forest Home. Joseph Schlitz, who died at sea, is honored with a cenotaph as his body was never recovered.

Also buried at Forest Home are William Sylvester Harley and Arthur Davidson, founders of a motorcycle company with a legacy neither lived to see. Katherine “Kittie” Linehan, one of the heroes of the 1883 Newhall House fire, is remembered at Forest Home, although her actual remains may be buried at Calvary.

What follows are only a few of Milwaukee movers and shakers that rest six feet below their visitors.

Vincent Crupi

The future vice lord of Milwaukee emigrated to the US with family members in 1906. As a teenager he began working for the Guardelebene crime family, and eventually he was given the responsibility of running the Green Light and five other brothels in the red-light district. In 1930, Crupi’s bawdy houses were raided, resulting in 17 women being arrested. Crupi was released on a $750 bond, but several vice squad officers were demoted amid allegations they had been protecting Crupi. He was deported to Sicily in 1933 following a sensational trial that dominated the front pages of newspapers for weeks. Although the Crupi family included Vincent’s name on their marker in Holy Cross cemetery, he was never formally allowed to return to the United States. As a side note, Vincent Crupi is my cousin twice removed.

Victor Berger

One of Milwaukee’s Socialist mayors, Berger died in 1929 after being struck by a streetcar. Forest Home.

Arthur “Blind” Blake

Arthur Blake was an accomplished guitarist and singer by 1920. His distinctive guitar playing resembled ragtime piano and brought him to the attention of the Paramount Records music studio in Grafton where he recorded about 75 tracks between 1926 and 1932. Among them are “Early Morning blues”, “Police Dog Blues”, and “You Gonna Quit Me Blues”, the latter covered by Bob Dylan in 1992. Blake married Beatrice McGee in 1931. They lived at 6th and Brown Streets, 10th and Cherry Streets, and several subsequent addresses. Blake died in 1934 and is buried in the pauper’s section of Glen Oaks. His grave was unmarked until 2013 when a group of researchers had one placed there. Beatrice McGee Blake died in 1953. Her grave site still does not have a marker.

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Dr. James Cameron

The founder of America’s Black Holocaust Museum survived a 1930 lynching and went on to become a nationally recognized advocate for African American history. Holy Cross.

Harry S. Christiansen

In 1940, rejected suitor Christiansen entered the Walgreen’s drug store on Downer Avenue and shot Mildred Bell five times, killing her instantly. He then put the pistol to his head and pulled the trigger. Christiansen failed to kill himself, but the bullet blinded him in both eyes. A judge sentenced him to life imprisonment. Holy Cross.

Howie Epstein

Epstein graduated from Nicolet High School in 1973 and began to work with Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Stevie Nicks, and Johnny Cash. In 1982, he joined Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, playing bass guitar for 20 years. Second Home.

Ole Evinrude

Inventor of the modern outboard boat motor. Pinelawn Memorial.

Herman Fehr

Fehr was an 19th century alderman who served the underworld neighborhood west of the river. He became wealthy through large investments in the Alhambra and Majestic vaudeville theaters. Forest Home.

Oscar “Hap” Felsch

Felsch played center field for the Chicago White Sox during the 1919 “Black Sox” scandal. Wisconsin Memorial Park.

The Crusher

Reggie Lisowski developed a barrel-chested physique and the strength to bench-press nearly 600 pounds while stationed at an Army base in Germany. When he returned stateside, Lisowskibleached his hair and began what would be a 40-year career as The Crusher, one of the biggest draws in the sport’s history. Upon his death in 2005, he was honored with a life-sized bronze statue that stands in downtown South Milwaukee. Holy Sepulcher.

Solomon Juneau

In 1818, Juneau was sent to develop this area into a trading post because of his accounting skills and ability to get along with the indigenous tribes. His cook, Joe Oliver, is believed to be the first African American resident here. By 1835, Juneau opened the first store and inn east of the Milwaukee River and sold land to newcomers. He founded the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1837 and became the first mayor a decade later. Calvary.

Byron Kilbourn

One of the three founders of Milwaukee, Kilbourn was a trained surveyor who established Kilbourntown west of the river as an alternative to Juneautown. Enmity between Kilbourn and Solomon Juneau resulted in the violent Bridge War of 1845. To this day, East Wisconsin Avenue is not aligned with its western counterpart. Kilbourn was the city’s third and eighth mayor and died in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1998, his remains were relocated to Forest Home.

Johnny Logan

Logan was a legendary Milwaukee Braves shortstop who hit the first home run in the 1957 World Series against the New York Yankees. Wisconsin Memorial Park.

Otto Meister

The visionary theater owner who built the Butterfly theater in 1911 on what is now the site of the current Warner theater. Holy Cross.

General Billy Mitchell

The father of the United States Air Force, William “Billy” Mitchell was born into one of Milwaukee's wealthiest families. Mitchell joined the Army during the Spanish-American War where he was drawn to flying. During World War I, Mitchell directed the air combat operations in France. His success was rewarded with a promotion to the rank of general, but his outspoken, sometimes abrasive personality eventually to a 1925 court martial and the war hero’s resignation from the Army. Mitchell died in 1936 at age 56. In 1941, Milwaukee County Airport was renamed General Mitchell Field. Forest Home.

Billy’s father, John Mitchell, was a Civil War veteran who became a U.S. Senator. His grandfather, Alexander Mitchell, was a 19th century banking and railroad baron. Forest Home

Lucius Nieman

A reporter for the Sentinel, he was promoted to managing editor. In 1882 Nieman purchased the faltering Daily Journal just days before his 25th birthday. Under his leadership, the newly christened Milwaukee Journal championed major social and economic issues of the day. Nieman died in 1935. Forest Home.

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Charles Pfister

Having already made one fortune from tanning leather, Pfister invested in banks, utilities, streetcars, railroads, and the Milwaukee Sentinel. In 1893, he spent one $1 million to build a lavish hotel on the city’s East Side that boasted all the latest amenities and a world-class collection of Victorian art. Pfister lived in the hotel until his death in 1927. Forest Home.

John and Thomas Saxe

The Saxe brothers became the city’s motion picture theater titans from 1903 to 1927. The Oriental on Farwell is their last remaining movie palace. Calvary.

Christopher Latham Sholes

Sholes developed a functional typewriter on the site of the current UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. He sold the rights to the Remington company for $12,000. Forest Home.

Fred Usinger

Founder of the world-famous sausage company that still bears his name 112 years later. Forest Home.

George Walker

A politician and successful fur trader, Walker expanded his business in 1835 to uncharted territory on the south bank of the Milwaukee River. He claimed 160 acres and built a trading post and cabin at what is now Fourth and Bruce Streets. In 1846, Walker’s Point had grown to 1,500 residents and was combined with Juneautown and Kilbourntown to incorporate the City of Milwaukee. Walker became the new city’s fifth and seventhvmayor. Forest Home.

Frank Zeidler

Ziedler’s tenure as Milwaukee’s last Socialist mayor ran from 1948 to 1960. Pinelawn Memorial.