Wauwatosa in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Milwaukee County Asylum Cemetery
Photographed By Paul Fehrenbach, October 24, 2011
1. Milwaukee County Asylum Cemetery Marker
Inscription.
Milwaukee County Asylum Cemetery. . The ground before you contains the mortal remains of approximately 200 souls who died at the Milwaukee County Asylum / Hospital for the Insane. These burial grounds were open from March 1880 – November 1914. Patients without financial means or family to claim them found a place of eternal peace here. Among them is Civil War veteran, Albert Melms, 3rd Class Musician of the 24th Illinois Infantry., Between March 1880 and November 1914, a succession of four superintendents had the duty to oversee the Milwaukee County Asylum / Hospital for the Insane. Their administrations are as follows:, . Dr. James H. McBride, March 1880 – August 1884 , . Dr. F.B. Scribner, August 1884 – November 1885 , . Dr. A.J. Hare, November 1885 – June 1888 , . Dr. Moses J. White, June 1888 – November 1914, During Dr. White’s long and compassionate tenure of 27 years, many innovative programs were implemented, including proper care and burial of the unfortunate patients who died alone and without family to claim them.,
May they, at rest, find the peace and sanity they desired in life..
The ground before you contains the mortal remains of approximately 200 souls who died at the Milwaukee County Asylum / Hospital for the Insane. These burial grounds were open from March 1880 – November 1914. Patients without financial means or family to claim them found a place of eternal peace here. Among them is Civil War veteran, Albert Melms, 3rd Class Musician of the 24th Illinois Infantry.
Between March 1880 and November 1914, a succession of four superintendents had the duty to oversee the Milwaukee County Asylum / Hospital for the Insane. Their administrations are as follows:
• Dr. James H. McBride, March 1880 – August 1884
• Dr. F.B. Scribner, August 1884 – November 1885
• Dr. A.J. Hare, November 1885 – June 1888
• Dr. Moses J. White, June 1888 – November 1914
During Dr. White’s long and compassionate tenure of 27 years, many innovative programs were implemented, including proper care and burial of the unfortunate patients who died alone and without family to claim them.
May they, at rest, find the peace and sanity they desired in life.
43° 3.06′ N, 88° 1.646′ W. Marker is in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, in Milwaukee County. Marker can be reached from North 87th Street, half a mile north of West Watertown Plank Road, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located near the western parking area of the County Grounds Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9480 W Watertown Plank Rd, Milwaukee WI 53226, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Additional commentary. 1. Discovery and history of the cemetery I’m a retired Milwaukee County Deputy Sheriff and patrolled this area for ten years. In approximately 2002 I was involved in the discovery of this particular grave site. Great Lakes Archaeology using 1920s Murdock aerial photos and identified this site for future watershed landscaping. It was a group of trees with a rough car path through
Photographed By Paul Fehrenbach, October 24, 2011
2. Milwaukee County Asylum Cemetery Marker
it. The cemetery plots were unknown. I had tripped over cast-iron cemetery markers that were cut off or pounded into the ground. In the 1930s centralization of all the smaller cemeteries on the County Poor Farm occurred. I saw Great Lakes Archaeology dig down to examine and identify but not remove the graves. These we’re probably the oldest and had probably been in place 50+ years.
— Submitted January 20, 2024, by William Bushman of Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 25, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 9, 2012, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 2,024 times since then and 168 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 9, 2012, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
