Sheboygan Falls Cemetery Tour
Loading...
Get a QR Code for this tour
Description
Join the Sheboygan County Museum for a walking tour through the historic Sheboygan Falls Cemetery
1. Charles Herman Weisse
Charles Herman Weisse was an important businessman in Sheboygan Falls. He was instrumental in running the Weisse Company, which manufactured leather. Weisse served as a Congressman for a number of years, as well as participating in local politics. In 1919 the Weisse Company tannery burned down. Charles was killed in an accident following the fire, and is buried in Sheboygan Falls Cemetery.
2. Dwight F. Lawton
Little is known about Dwight Lawton, outside of his involvement in the Masonic Temple. We do know that he was born in 1791 in Massachusetts, and that he later moved to Wisconsin as a merchant of some kind. He became involved with the Freemasons after this move, and spent much of his life helping to establish the Masonic order in Wisconsin. We also know that Dwight had a daughter, and near the end of his life he dedicated himself to her care. Ultimately, Dwight died of illness in 1856, but he remains an important figure in the Masonic history of Sheboygan County.
3. Helen Brainard Cole
Helen Brainard Cole was a beloved, patriotic woman who served her country during the Civil War as one of the first female nurses. During the war, Helen served at the Campbell Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she befriended president Abraham Lincoln. She later moved to Boston, before returning to Wisconsin. Helen passed away in 1931 at the age of 93, and is buried here in Sheboygan Falls Cemetery.
4. Silas Stedman
Silas Stedman is considered the founder of Sheboygan Falls. He was born in Massachusetts in 1785, and moved to 1835. Seeing how many resources were available in the Sheboygan area, Stedman decided to bid on the land. In 1837 Stedman initially plotted out what was then the town of Rochester (now Sheboygan Falls), and in 1846 the town was officially plotted. Stedman died in 1869, and is buried here, in the Sheboygan Falls Cemetery.
5. John E. Thomas
The Honorable John E. Thomas was born in Albany in 1829. In 1849 he traveled to Sheboygan, where he started a mercantile business, which soon flourished. Not satisfied with just the manufacturing business, Thomas pursued a law degree and was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar in 1858. He served in both the Wisconsin Assembly and the SEnate, before becoming the owner, editor, and publisher of the Sheboygan County News. Thomas died in 1910, and is buried alongside the Stedman family.
6. Charles D. Cole
Charles D. Cole is considered to be one of the earliest pioneers in Sheboygan County and in Sheboygan Falls. His name lives on in the Cole Historic District, which includes Water, Monroe, Adams, and Michigan streets. Cole was born in New York in 1806, and married Sarah Trowbridge in 1831. In 1836, Cole and Sarah moved to Sheboygan, where Cole set up a fur trading warehouse with his partner, Farnsworth. The Cole family moved to Sheboygan Falls in 1838, and purchased 320 acres of land. Their home is now the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center! In 1867, at the age of 60, Cole passed away and is buried here, in the Sheboygan Falls Cemetery.
7. John F. Kuhn's Meteorite
As you walk through the Sheboygan Falls cemetery, you will come across an unusual grave marker. This large stone marks the grave of John F. Kuhn, who claimed that the stone was a meteorite from space. Although that claim has not been officially confirmed, it is quite possibly true. Even if it isn't, the stone makes an impressive memorial and contributes to the landscape of this beautiful cemetery.
8. John Weldon Wyckoff
John Weldon "Wyckie" Wyckoff was a major league baseball pitcher from 1914-1918. John, who also went by just Weldon Wyckoff, was born in 1893. He made a name for himself as a pitcher on the Bucknell University baseball team. He was picked up by the Philadelphia Athletics, before being traded to the Red Sox in 1916. With Babe Ruth and other star pitchers already on the team, Wyckoff had trouble finding his way into regular rotation. In 1918 he was released to the minor leagues, and semi-retired from baseball. Wyckoff moved to Sheboygan falls in 1929 so that he could play for the Wisconsin State Baseball League. Sadly, Wyckoff died suddenly in 1961, at the age of 69. He is buried here in the Sheboygan Falls Cemetery.
