Mound Cemetery is a 55-acre burial site located in Racine, Wisconsin. Established in 1852, it was previously the site of approximately 138 prehistoric effigies and burial mounds. Mound Cemetery now contains over 2,600 burials, including many of the most prominent citizens from the history of Racine.[1]
| Mound Cemetery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Established | June 3, 1852 |
| Location | 1147 West Blvd, Racine, Wisconsin |
| Country | US |
| Coordinates | 42°43′14″N 87°48′45″W / 42.720520°N 87.812600°W |
| Size | 55 acres (22 ha) |
| No. of interments | >2,600 |
| Find a Grave | Mound Cemetery |
History
editThe namesake burial mounds are believed to be over a thousand years old.[2] Only fourteen of the original burial mounds remain on the cemetery grounds. The remaining effigy mounds are shaped like lizards and surrounded by circular burial mounds.[3]
The site of Mound Cemetery was first purchased in 1834 by Joseph Antoine Ouilmette, a fur trader believed to have been of French and Native American ancestry. It was sold in 1851 to white settlers Norman Clark and James Kinzie. At the time of the sale, Ouilmette described the site as the "burial place of his fathers", leaving the impression that the burial site had previously been utilized by the Potawatomi.[2]
Mound Cemetery was officially dedicated on June 3, 1852, with the land originally divided into 1,768 burial plots.[2]
On May 12, 1976, Mound Cemetery was designated as an official landmark of the city of Racine.[2]
A 1985 act of the Wisconsin Legislature set new requirements for the treatment of all human remains in such sites, regardless of cultural or ethnic origin, and established that sites were not to be disturbed without a permit from the Wisconsin Historical Society.[4]
Notable interments
edit- Harold C. Agerholm (1925–1944), USMC, Medal of Honor recipient.
- Robert Hall Baker (1839–1882), businessman, Racine mayor, Wisconsin state senator, major shareholder of the Case Corporation.
- Lucius S. Blake (1816–1894), businessman, "father of Racine industry".
- Jerome Case (1819–1891), businessman, Racine mayor, founder of the Case Corporation.
- Henry Allen Cooper (1850–1931), U.S. congressman.
- James Rood Doolittle (1815–1897), United States senator.
- Reuben G. Doud (1830–1877), businessman, Racine mayor.
- Nicholas D. Fratt (1825–1910), businessman, Wisconsin state senator, gubernatorial candidate.
- William Horlick (1846–1936), businessman, creator of Malted milk.
- Gilbert Knapp (1798–1887), sailor, founder of Racine.[5]
- Timothy D. Morris (1818–1876), Wisconsin state senator, Racine sheriff.
- Reuben M. Norton (1796–1884), first mayor of Racine.
- Albert L. Phillips (1824–1893), Wisconsin state senator.
References
edit- ^ "Cemetery Office". City of Racine. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Mound Cemetery: Home of the Dead". Unconventional Historian. October 5, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ "Property Record - Mound Cemetery". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ An Act ... relating to the preservation of human burial sites, creating a burial sites preservation board attached to the historical society, granting a tax exemption, imposing a penalty and making an appropriation (PDF) (Act 316). Wisconsin Legislature. 1985. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ Brien, Stephanie (June 22, 2008). "Many notable people from Racine's past rest in Mound Cemetery". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved March 23, 2023.