Forest Home Cemetery Soldiers' Lot

Forest Home Cemetery Soldiers' Lot is a VA national cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. VA lists it as closed to new burials. Burial is free for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependent children.

Source: National Cemetery Administration (cem.va.gov), retrieved May 2026

History of Forest Home Cemetery Soldiers' Lot

In 1846, with the founding of the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, local leaders recognized the necessity of a local cemetery. Forest Home Cemetery was established in 1850 to meet this need. An example of the rural cemetery movement, Forest Home Cemetery originally contained 72 acres of pastoral land located outside of the city center. It is one the oldest rural cemeteries in the region, as well as the final resting place for many significant individuals in Wisconsin history. Sixteen mayors of Milwaukee and five governors of Wisconsin are interred at Forest Home Cemetery. Over the years the cemetery has expanded and today it is 200 acres.

The 0.038-acre soldiers' lot, located in section 24, block 5, was purchased from Forest Home Cemetery by the federal government in 1872. Most of the initial burials in the soldiers' lot came from general hospitals in the Milwaukee area. There are 21 interments within this lot.

Forest Home Cemetery, including the soldiers' lot, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in November 1980.

Directions

From Wood National Cemetery take National Avenue East to Highway 41 (43rd Street). Turn right on Highway 41. Go South to Forest Home Avenue. Turn left and go East on Forest Home Avenue to 24th Street. Cemetery is on the right.

From Mitchell International Airport (6.9 miles from the cemetery): From the airport take Wisconsin-119 West. Take Interstate 94 South/Interstate 894-ByPass. Take exit 136. Merge onto Interstate 43 South/Interstate 894 West. Take the 27th Street/Wisconsin-241 North exit #9B. Turn right on South 27th Street. Bear right on West Forest Home Avenue. Total distance is 6.9 miles.

Flowers and grounds rules

Cemetery policies are conspicuously posted and readily visible to the public.

Floral arrangements accompanying the casket or urn at the time of burial will be placed on the completed grave. Natural cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time of the year. They will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations such as mowing.

Education and visiting programs

More than half of VA's national cemeteries originated with the Civil War and many are closed to some burials. Other sites were established to serve World War veterans and they continue to expand. Historic themes related with NCA's cemeteries and soldiers' lots vary, but visitors should understand "Why is it here?" NCA began by installing interpretive signs, or waysides, at more than 100 properties to observe the Civil War Sesquicentennial (2011–2015). Please follow the links below to see the interpretive signs for Forest Home Soldiers' Lot.

A National Cemetery System Forest Home Soldiers' Lot

Who can be buried at Forest Home Cemetery Soldiers' Lot?

VA national cemeteries accept a veteran who didn't receive a dishonorable discharge, a service member who died on active duty or in training, the veteran's spouse or surviving spouse (even if they remarried), and minor or, in some cases, unmarried adult dependent children. National Guard and Reserve members qualify under narrower rules. You can ask VA for a pre-need eligibility decision in advance; it does not reserve a gravesite.

What does burial here include at no cost?

• A gravesite in any VA national cemetery with available space
• Opening and closing of the grave
• A government-provided burial liner
• A government-provided headstone or marker
• Perpetual care of the gravesite

Veterans also receive a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate (presented to the next of kin at the burial) and military funeral honors, which include the playing of Taps and two uniformed service members who present the flag. The committal service is held at a committal shelter, not at the grave, and lasts about 20 minutes. National cemeteries have no viewing facilities, so the funeral itself is held elsewhere.

How do you schedule a burial at Forest Home Cemetery Soldiers' Lot?

1. Gather the veteran's DD214 or other discharge papers, and the deceased's details (Social Security number, dates of birth and death, relationship to the veteran).
2. Fax the discharge papers to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 866-900-6417, or email them to [email protected] with the deceased's name in the subject line.
3. You or the funeral director call 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET) to request Forest Home Cemetery Soldiers' Lot and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

VA lists Forest Home Cemetery Soldiers' Lot as closed. Ask the scheduling office what, if anything, can still be arranged here, and about open national cemeteries nearby.

Where is the Forest Home Cemetery Soldiers' Lot burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Forest Home Cemetery Soldiers' Lot to see the committal services planned there. It only lists burials whose families agreed to publish them. To change or cancel a burial that's already scheduled, contact Forest Home Cemetery Soldiers' Lot directly at 414-382-5300.

Headstone, flag and burial allowance

• Government headstone or marker: tell the scheduling office which headstone, marker, niche cover or medallion you want when you schedule the burial.
• Burial flag: VA Form 27-2008.
• Burial allowance: For a non-service-connected death on or after October 1, 2026, VA pays up to $1,032 toward burial and funeral costs and $1,032 for a plot; for a service-connected death on or after September 11, 2001, the burial allowance is up to $2,000. Claim it with VA Form 21P-530EZ. All benefits

After the funeral: survivor benefits and the estate

A surviving spouse, child or parent may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), a tax-free monthly VA benefit, for example when the death was service connected (VA Form 21P-534EZ). The veteran's estate is settled under Wisconsin law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in Wisconsin and lists each county's probate court. For the rest of the paperwork, from Social Security to bank accounts, DeathUS has a step-by-step checklist of what to do when someone dies.

Nearest cemeteries

The three veterans cemeteries closest to Forest Home Cemetery Soldiers' Lot, by straight-line distance:

• Wood National Cemetery, Milwaukee, WI: 2 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
• Wood National Cemetery Annex, Milwaukee, WI: 2 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
• Mound Cemetery Soldiers' Lot, Racine, WI: 21 mi, closed to new in-ground burials