Waterford in Racine County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Waterford Village Cemetery est. 1843
Photographed by Fitzie Heimdahl
1. Waterford Village Cemetery est. 1843 Marker
This cemetery was the original resting place of community members who were instrumental in founding Waterford. Village founders Levi Barnes and Samuel Chapman dedicated this site as the villages first public cemetery in 1843, but burials date back to 1837, when Wisconsin was still a territory. Burials included several members of Wisconsins early state legislature, county supervisors, and local judiciary, such as Barnes, Chapman, Ira Rice, and Alfred Lockwood. War of 1812 veteran John F. Beedle is also buried here. A law introduced by Rice in 1870 assigned maintenance of the cemetery to the Village. By 1880, as this site deteriorated, many families had decided to move bodies to other local cemeteries. The last known burial was that of Abigail Sawyer in 1908.
Please be mindful that by law, this is a protected burial site.
Erected 2024 by Waterford Heritage Committee and Wisconsin Historical Society. (Marker Number 619.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1843.
Location. 42° 45.932′ N, 88° 12.914′ W. Marker is in Waterford, Wisconsin, in Racine County. It is on North Jefferson Street north of North Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Waterford WI 53185, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Wisconsin and in Greater Milwaukee. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Old Muskego (approx. 3.4 miles away); Revolutionary War Veteran (approx. 4.8 miles away); Clarence H. Beaumont (approx. 6.3 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 6½ miles away); Mormons in Early Wisconsin (approx. 6½ miles away); Dodges Corners Cemetery (approx. 6.7 miles away); Maney Ridge Prehistoric Effigy Mounds (approx. 7.3 miles away); Village of Big Bend (approx. 7.8 miles away).
Also see . . . Find-A-Grave site of Waterford Village Cemetery. Waterford Village Cemetery was established in 1842, and was left to the care of the Village of Waterford. The cemetery was abandoned in the early to mid 1900's and the cemetery records were destroyed. In 2020 a group of concerned residents took on the task of restoration. Only a handful of headstones remain. (Submitted on May 26, 2025, by Luci j Baker Johnson of Seattle, Washington.)
Photographed by Fitzie Heimdahl, October 29, 2024
2. Waterford Village Cemetery est. 1843 Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2024, by Fitzie Heimdahl of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 680 times since then and 66 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 4, 2024, by Fitzie Heimdahl of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. 2. submitted on October 31, 2024, by Fitzie Heimdahl of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
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