Over 100 Years of Perpetual Care
A place of respect, dignity and peace.
Graceland Cemetery Map
Interactive Cemetery Map
View and print Graceland Cemetery maps at your convenience using our interactive map.
Our Hours
Cemetery Hours
The cemetery is open from dawn to dusk year around to give you easy, convenient access to the resting place of your loved ones, and the grounds are maintained in a serene park-like setting.
Office Hours
Our office is open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday should you have any questions or require assistance. We’re located at 6401 North 43rd Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You can reach our office at (414) 353-8850.
After the Burial | What You Should Know
There are always fresh graves in our cemetery indicating newly-dug burial places. One of these may be for your loved one. We are privileged and honored to be entrusted with the care of so many family members.
What happens after your loved ones burial?
Everything will eventually be restored at it was. For a time the grave will look rough. But, in time the grave will be restored to its original condition — level, with thick turf, identical to the surrounding grass.
But, it won’t happen immediately. Why?
The season of the year has so much to do with our ability to restore graves. Of necessity, during the cool and cold times of the year no grass will grow, nor will dirt move, nor water flow. So, very little can happen until the warmer days.
When it is warm and the rains fall, progress can be made. We must respect the processes of nature and nurture in order to complete the work beautifully and efficiently. It is our goal in springtime to get all graves from the fall and winter to their leveled and ready for either grass seed or sod, so that by Memorial Day all cold weather burial places are on their way to growing grass.
Tamp, settle, level, sod
Immediately after a burial, the grave is back-filled, leaving a rather high mound of bare, often lumpy dirt. Most of this will disappear as the soil works its way down beside the burial vault. More dirt may need to be added as the earth settles. However, this is not generally possible during the winter, as the ground is frozen. Neither can we work with the soil when it is wet and muddy.
Once the ground has settled we mechanically tamp the grave with a machine, leaving the entire grave flush with surrounding grass. In final preparation for sodding, we put a new two-inch layer of pulverized topsoil on the grave and then roll out the top-quality sod. The new sod needs water — whether from the heavens or from the cemetery taps — so the grass roots will spread permanently and quickly into the soft upper layer of dirt. The sod will settle to be level as everything compacts even more. The work is finished.
Planting & Floral Rules
To preserve the beauty of Graceland Cemetery, we have adopted certain rules and regulations, which are in effect throughout the cemetery. We appreciate the cooperation of all lot owners in keeping these regulations.
1. Live flowers and greenery are allowed at Graceland from two weeks before Easter until the third week of October. They must be placed in approved, invertible, flush vases. Glass jars or vases, tin cans, bottles, wooden boxes, hard plastic or metal containers with pointed metal prongs are not permitted and will be removed.
2. Grave blankets are not permitted and will be removed.
3. No more than two bouquets or decorations are allowed on a grave. Any more will be removed.
4. All flowers in approved vases or pots will remain until they are no longer a fitting memorial in the judgment of the cemetery staff and will then be removed. This includes faded artificial flowers or wilted live flowers.
5. Special seasonal decorations, such as crosses, standards, wreaths, etc., for holidays such as Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc., may be placed two weeks before the holiday and are permitted to remain for two weeks after the holiday, after which they will be removed.
6. During the second week of October to a week before Thanksgiving our staff performs a general Fall clean-up of the cemetery. All invertible vases will be put down, and all summer decorations will be removed. This lets us mulch, remove leaves, and get the grounds ready for winter.
7. The use of vases is not permitted during the winter months. They will fill with water, which when it freezes, can split the sides of the vase. Also, when covered with snow, a vase may be damaged if our grounds staff has to use a snow blower to open an area for burial.
8. Christmas wreaths and winter decorations are permitted the week before Thanksgiving and, if their condition warrants, will remain until two weeks before Easter. Evergreen blankets are not allowed at any time and will be removed.
9. You must obtain permission from the management to plant or remove any tree or shrub, install any kind of monument or marker, or do any work for hire in the cemetery.
Graceland offers these beneficial products and services
- Colorful bouquets of life-like silk flowers for springtime and summer.
- Natural evergreen wreaths for the Christmas holidays and winter.
- Lifetime vases that provide an attractive place for flowers.
- Memorial sales and service.
- Pre-planning counseling with interest free financing.
- Chapel for your memorial service at a nominal charge.
Honoring Our Veterans
Memorial Day
Graceland honors Veterans with Memorial Day services conducted with the help of volunteers. An American flag is placed on the grave of each man and woman who served in the Armed Forces
What the Cemetery Service Charge Includes
(DIRECT LABOR COST)
Before Funeral
Carefully measure and mark the exact location for the grave. Open the grave with a backhoe, along with the necessary handwork. Remove the soil. Clean the area after digging.
Day of Funeral
Final grave preparation. Install the burial vault and the lowering device. Set up for the graveside committal service. Assist the Funeral Director in placing the casket on the lowering device properly. Arrange flowers. Park cars from the procession. Lower the casket into the vault and seal the vault. Replace the soil in the grave. Arrange the flowers on the closed grave. Clean the area. Take down and remove equipment and set-up. We offer a heated chapel for bad weather conditions at no additional cost.
After Funeral
Remove wilted flowers from the grave and clean around the area. Complete the finish process by adding topsoil, edging around the grave and install sod to restore the area to like it was before.
Ongoing Care
The grave is perpetually maintained. Grass is cut, weeds are killed, sunken areas refilled as needed. Grave markers are maintained as needed. Landscape is constantly enhanced with new trees and plantings. Cemetery records are maintained and updated continuously. Systems are improved as technology advances.
Indirect Labor Cost
We provide service year round, regardless of the weather. Maintaining a staff ready to provide cemetery service on sometimes short notice creates significant operating costs. Graceland Cemetery is a church-owned, non-profit organization. We provide our staff with competitive wages and benefits along with good working conditions. All this is part of the indirect labor cost.
Interactive Cemetery Maps
