‘I’m kind of a weirdo and have been going to cemeteries my entire life, especially this one.’

This year marks the 175th anniversary of Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum. To celebrate, staff handed out free cake to Doors Open Milwaukee visitors—including Sammi Linari, whose family has long worked in the funeral industry. The highlight of her day was seeing the upper Midwest’s first crematory. Built in 1896, the crematory is no longer in use and lies beneath the chapel, which is now used for weddings as well as funeral and memorial services.

Amber Moreno-Padilla: Why did you take time to come here today?

Sammi Linari: I love this cemetery. I’m kind of a weirdo and have been going to cemeteries my entire life, especially this one. My entire family is involved in the funeral industry, so seeing that the crematorium was open was the main thing I really wanted to see.

Amber Moreno-Padilla: Did you like the tour?

Sammi Linari: Yeah, it was so cool. It’s gorgeous down there—pretty creepy feeling, though.

Amber Moreno-Padilla: What did you learn during the tour that you didn’t know before?

Sammi Linari: I didn’t know this had been going on for so long. I didn’t realize it was so old, and that there’s a casket lift down there. The juxtaposition between how it’s done now and how it was done then was super interesting to see.

Amber Moreno-Padilla: What’s the main difference? I’m not very familiar.

Sammi Linari: Everything is very clean and behind the scenes now—more sterilized and faster. Back then, families had to sit for a while, and coffins were manually transported. It all would have just been done in the same place.

Amber Moreno-Padilla: Why did you pick this location?

Sammi Linari: My mom and grandma were involved in the funeral industry, and they would take me here instead of going to the park or something. We’d come here, have picnics, and walk around, so I spent a lot of time here growing up. I just thought it would be cool to see behind the scenes.

Amber Moreno-Padilla: That is so cool. It really is beautiful—kind of like a park. Very peaceful.

Sammi Linari: It’s a nice place to read a book or something. It’s more peaceful than a public park. You kind of feel like you’re moving back to something.

Amber Moreno-Padilla: Did you feel like you knew Milwaukee pretty well already?

Sammi Linari: Yes and no. I’ve lived here my whole life and try to stay involved in local stuff, but I’m definitely trying to take advantage of as much as I can this weekend. I’m also going to try to visit some of the churches and learn about those. There’s a lot of old history I don’t know about the city.

Amber Moreno-Padilla: I feel the same way. I’ve lived here my whole life, and I still don’t know enough.

Sammi Linari: Yeah, there’s always something. I didn’t know half of these places existed.

Amber Moreno-Padilla: Anything else you’d like to add—maybe why someone else would want to come here?

Sammi Linari: I think a lot of people are creeped out or scared by this type of stuff, and that’s normal. But being in this environment makes you more prepared for it. It’s a learning experience to get close to it.

Amber Moreno-Padilla: Are you planning on going into the funeral business too?

Sammi Linari: I wanted to. I actually went to beauty school to become a mortuary cosmetologist, but the schooling just wasn’t right for me at the time. In the future, I’d like to do that—or get into taxidermy or something along those lines.