Waukesha cemetery offers natural burials, celebrates 175 years

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Waukesha's 175-year-old Prairie Home Cemetery will open shortly for something new.

The inaugural Tombstone Trot 5K will take place Sunday morning, Oct. 20 on streets that run through the cemetery grounds. It is part of the cemetery's 175th anniversary celebration. 

Kristy Sizemore is a member of the nonprofit, "Friends of Prairie Home Cemetery."

"Our purpose is to raise funds for significant projects," Sizemore said. 

Karen Richards

Sizemore said it took the group five years to fund raise for a K-9 memorial that was dedicated in 2023. There are other projects the "friends" are giving a boost. 

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"Last year and this year, they did two phases of landscaping around our chapel building," said Karen Richards, Cemetery Director.

If the tombstones and monuments are a reminder of Waukesha's past, Richards considered one site on the grounds part of its future. 

"The bodies are usually are wrapped in a shroud or wicker or wood biodegradable casket with no metal," Richards said. 

Prairie Home Cemetery, Waukesha

Richards said Prairie Home Cemetery is one of only five in Wisconsin that allows natural burials. About a dozen people each year are buried in this way. 

While you cannot miss grave sites like the one for music pioneer Les Paul. 

"I think he brings the most visitors into the cemetery," Sizemore said. 

The natural section is covered in prairie grass. 

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More than 160 people have signed up for Sunday's run. Leaders hope it is a way to honor the city's past while keeping in step with its future. 

"Come out – please come out and join us. It’s going to be a wonderful day," Sizemore said.