Graceland Cemetery
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Graceland Cemetery in Milwaukee, WI | Graceland Cemetery was founded in 1914 as a non-profit, church-owned cemetery, endowed for perpetual care. until 4 p.m.
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With our religious heritage and emphasis on family values, we continually strive to maintain the cemetery as a place of respect, dignity and peace. Our office is open from 8 a.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday should you have any questions or require assistance. We're located at 6401 North 43rd Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You can reach our office at 414 ) 353-8850.
Address
6401 N 43rd Street
Milwaukee, WI
53209
Opening Hours
Monday | 9am - 5pm |
Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
Friday | 9am - 5pm |
Saturday | 10am - 3pm |
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🪦 Built in 1860, Graceland Cemetery is an enormous 121-acre cemetery on the city’s north side. Covered with willow trees that seem to hide ghosts at every corner, this sprawling park is haunted. Some of the country’s creepiest burial sites are located inside the Graceland Cemetery.
🌕 A visit to Graceland Cemetery is not always a simple walk in the park. Residents of nearby Montrose Avenue have reported on multiple accounts that on nights with a full moon they have seen the ghost of one of the entombed's pets stalking the grounds.
👻 The ghost of Inez Clark lingers in this old cemetery. She was almost 7 years old when she was fatally struck by lightning at a picnic. There is a life-size statue of her on her gravesite, enclosed in glass. It is said that on rainy nights the statue disappears, and the ghost of a little girl can be seen walking around the cemetery.
🪦 Inez Clarke “The Girl Who Didn't Exist” might be the most famous grave in the cemetery, not just because of the eerily alive stone child encased in glass. Inez was a little girl who was struck by lightning while playing outside. Her distraught parents wanted her grave to be a perfect stone replica of their little girl. People who work at this cemetery swear up and down that this might be more than a replica: The restless soul of Inez might also be present. People have claimed that whenever there is a storm, her statue disappears—leaving only an empty glass box. Visitors claim to hear a little girl crying when they visit.
📰 The problem with these claims is that its quite hard to prove Inez Clarke actually existed. Census reports of the era show no records of an Inez Clarke of any age at the time that she was recorded to be alive. The gravestone is marked by the artist “A. Gagel”, leading some experts to conclude that this grave is actually just an advertisement for the artist’s work.
🗄 The cemetery itself shows no record of an Inez Clarke actually being buried there. According to their documents, a little boy named Amos Briggs is buried in the plot. It is, however, possible that Inez was buried with her grandparents’ surname, Briggs, with the Amos record being a misread version of Inez. In any case, whoever does reside in the grave is not resting quietly.
👻Dexter Graves, “The Eternal Silence” Locals say that the statue “The Eternal Silence” will cause bad things happen to anyone who attempts to take a picture of Dexter’s final resting place.
📸According to legend, your camera might break or you will find a blurry photo if you try to capture the monk's solemn visage. You might not want to take a photo of this statue.
👀 Also, If you look directly into the monk’s eyes, you will see a split second vision of your own death.
🏛The Palmer Mausoleum, this huge mausoleum looks like a Greek temple.
📽If the fact that a scene in a supernatural horror film was shot at Graceland doesn't spook one out, then maybe none of these stories will do the trick. "Damien: Omen II," a 1978 film that was the second installment of the "Omen" series, used a grand Greek temple mausoleum with twin sarcophagi to shoot the scene. The remains of the wealthy couple, Potter (1826-1902) and Bertha Palmer (1849-1918) are located here.
🪦According to Graceland Cemetery, "Potter Palmer pioneered customer satisfaction in his dry goods store, with money-back guarantees, merchandise on approval, and attractive store displays. He sold his successful business to Marshall Field and Levi Leiter, and became successful in real estate. (You’ve heard of the Palmer House, no doubt)."
🏛 The temple was designed by McKim, Mead & White of New York, as well as Bertha’s parents' French Gothic tomb across the road.
❄️Many visitors over the years have reported that standing in the mausoleum fears them with dread. Folks describe it as being "eerily quiet and even colder than the rest of the cemetery."
👻 Daniel Burnham's Private Island is an incredibly isolated grave which will give you an uneasy feeling. The famous city planner, who redesigned Chicago after the Great Fire and created the famous Flatiron in NYC, is buried across a bridge out onto an island on the pond. The grave itself sits under a weeping willow, adding to its detachment from the rest of the crowded burial ground.
📖 The popular book, "The Devil in the White City," by Erik Larson, shined a lot of light on the many happenings during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The book, based on real characters and events, includes the viewpoint of Daniel Burnham, credited as one of the fair's designers, combined with the story of H.H. Holmes, the first modern serial killer.
👻At the lake in Graceland Cemetery is a footbridge, which is a popular destination for families as many fish, ducks and other wildlife live in its waters, often begging for bread and food. Across from the footbridge is an "island" that houses the remains of the Burnham family. The folks at Windy City Ghosts state that the ghost of Daniel Burnham has been seen frequently over the years.
🎠 According to the legend, a man stands there on the bank of the island, with his hands in his pockets. He has been seen at the fairgrounds in Jackson Park and at his old offices at the Rookery Building on LaSalle Street, where he designed the World's Columbian Exposition.
👻 Victor Lawson, “The Crusader” is buried here, but the stone monument of a knight in shining armor holding a sword and shield looks like it belongs to another era. 📰 Victor Lawson was a pioneering Chicago newspaper publisher who revitalized the Chicago Daily News. Lawson is forever remembered by this knight who, seemingly, could come to life at any moment.
🔔 During his lifetime, Ludwig Wolff was rumored to be afraid he would be buried alive. According to Ursula Bielski, who gives walking tours of Graceland Cemetery, a vent that sits atop a built-up mound above his tomb includes a ventilation system with actual bells and whistles intended to prevent it from happening.
🐺It has also been said that residents of the apartment buildings on Montrose Avenue, located directly across from the Wolff tomb, have seen the ghost of Wolff's wolf hound pacing in front of the entrance, especially on nights with a full moon. As Graceland Cemetery has been a popular destination of coyotes for many decades, it might be easier for the doubters to explain this phenomenon.
👻 The Getty Tomb belongs to Henry Garrison Getty, a lumber baron, made his wife, Carrie Eliza, this peaceful resting place. It remains one of the most admired tombs at Graceland Cemetery. Famous architect Louis Sullivan (who is also buried at Graceland) designed the elaborate tomb complete with intricate circles etched into the sides. The tomb is best recognized by its turquoise iron gates that appear to lead to nothing—simply blackness that alludes to what is inside.
🪦 “Bruce Goof's Futuristic Stone” Bruce Goff was a futuristic mid-century architect who took his signature style with him to the grave.
📐 His grave marker differs from others on this list, as it doesn’t look Gothic or even particularly threatening. Rather, it looks like something meant to lure space aliens. It’s a stone triangle with a greenish crystal rock sitting on the top of it. It’s the kind of grave that hints that visitors might be out there. 👽
🪦 Fall & Winter Cemetery Gate Hours
Monday through Friday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday & Sunday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
🤔WHEN TO VISIT? The BEST time to visit this Illinois paranormal cemetery is during a full moon or when it’s rainy outside to see the statue disappear. However, any time of the year. Ghosts are known to come out after dark at night, particularly any time from 11PM - 3AM. 👻
⚠️Your experience here with paranormal activity brings different results than others because some people are more gifted/sensitive to the paranormal. Meaning, one person could experience activity while another person could experience nothing. People are different and complex. Some humans are clairaudient which means they can hear things while others cannot hear them. Those who are clairaudient hear spirits talk to them or they can hear spirits communicate with other spirits. Being able to hear or see spirits is a natural gift which can give you spiritual connection with the afterlife. The right combination of personality traits, cognitive styles, beliefs and environment equal a chilling encounter. 👻
Graceland Cemetery
💻 https://www.gracelandcemetery.org
📍 4264 N. Clark St, Chicago, IL 60613, USA
📱 (773) 525-1105