Was a Brookfield cemetery relocated due to construction?
Photo By Scott L Meyer
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Was a Brookfield cemetery relocated?
Issue: A Brookfield resident wants to know what happened to the old cemetery that used to be near the water tower at Calhoun Road and Capitol Drive.
Status: Although recent construction work along the intersection has made the cemetery less visible, it's still there. If you look closely - and carefully, if you're driving past - you can see headstones protruding from the ground on the intersection's northwest corner.
The cemetery belongs to the Trinity United Church of Christ, located just a half mile north of the cemetery on Calhoun Road. An additional cemetery is situated at the church.
The cemetery was established in 1869 as a German Lutheran Church burial ground and has changed denominations over the years, according to a Wisconsin genealogy website. The church maintains records of all the funerals held in the parish since it was first established.
The reader posing this question seemed to think that construction forced the cemetery to relocate, which sounds complicated to say the least, but isn't all that uncommon, Charlotte Hirschfield said.
Hirschfeld manages several cemeteries in the area, including the Mound Zion Cemetery, 14510 West North Ave. in Brookfield.
In her 40 years in the burial business, Hirschfield has seen it all. She shared a few stories about her father-in-law's work throughout the county relocating bodies.
It's a delicate process that requires a state permit, she said. Especially considering caskets didn't always enjoy the sophisticated vaulting that they do today.
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