Cemeteries are already considered potentially haunted places to visit during the Halloween season, and on Oct. 18 and 19 residents of Forest Home Cemetery will be coming to life to share their legacies in Spirits of the Silent City: Dead Reckoning!
For the third year, the Forest Home Historic Preservation Association, in collaboration with the Caper Company, transforms the cemetery into a stage for professional actors to portray notable Milwaukeeans. These spirits not only guide tour groups through the grounds, but help them experience the stories of Milwaukee’s past through the eyes of those who now rest in the silent city in the somewhat eery atmosphere of the cemetery at night.
"We really wanted to bring alive the residents of Forest Home Cemetery because their stories are so compelling and amazing, and we wanted to do it in a way that was entertaining," says Forest Home Preservation Association executive director Sara Tomlin. "If you’re into something that’s spooky, a little spooky — not terribly frightening — and definitely for people who like history and want to know more about Milwaukee, this is the thing to go see."
With a new route and over 20 spirits portrayed, visitors will "meet" residents such as Ardie Clark Halyard, Arthur Davidson, Peg Bradley, Increase Lapham, Mabel Watson Raimey and more. Deborah Clifton is an actor who channeled the late Lenore Cawker (1873 - 1932) for Spirits of the Silent City. Cawker used her own money to build the first sanctuary for animals in the city and was known as "Milwaukee's dogcatcher." Her services supported over 120,000 animals by 1929.
Clifton shares a preview of Lenore's speech to visitors near her gravesite:
