Milwaukee historical figures walk the earth again at Forest Home Cemetery event

WUWM 89.7 FM | By Becky Mortensen

Published October 20, 2022 at 1:56 PM CDT

Actors perform as historical figures at Forest Home Cemetery.

This weekend at Forest Home Cemetery, you have a chance to meet some of the historical figures buried on the grounds – well sort of.

The Spirits of the Silent City event will offer guided tours by performers dressed and acting as some of the most notable people buried at the cemetery like the beer barons, Ezekiel Gillespie and Ardie Clark Halyard.

Forest Home Cemetery lit for Spirits of the Silent City event.

"The cemetery is inherently scary, especially at night, but when you add in the characters that are going to be brought out and the people you’re going to meet who are residents here I think it’s also gonna be really enlightening and entertaining," Sara Tomilin, the assistant executive director of Forest Home Cemetery explains.

Erica Cherie will perform as Ardie Clark Halyard. She was an activist and the first woman president of the Milwaukee Chapter of the NAACP. She also helped people of color secure housing.

"Ardie is a phenomenal woman. She is one that is very driven by her purpose. And her purpose was to really help African Americans secure home loans free of discrimination. And that's exactly what she did and she was so passionate about," Cherie says.

As Cherie was researching for this role she found some personal connections between Halyard and her own life. Her father, who is a pastor, experienced the impact of redlining when he struggled to get a loan to open a church in Milwaukee.

"The fact that they would have me playing this character with the connection, it was just crazy to me because she's still, even though she's gone, her legacy still lives on and she's still providing for people that want more," Cherie says.

Tommy Canvas is performing as Ezekiel Gillespie who helped secure voting rights for African Americans in Wisconsin.

"The fact that he was really the pioneer, the first of many individuals of color who were able to vote here in Wisconsin, it's really exciting for me to be able to portray him because he was an integral part of my ability to have a voice," Canvas says.

Spirits of the Silent City is happening October 20th - October 22nd. You can find tickets here.