Summary
Oak Hill Cemetery
1101 Cemetery Road, Lake Geneva, Walworth County
Established: 1880
The Oak Hill Cemetery is located on its original forty rolling acres on the north side of the city of Lake Geneva and was established in 1880. Oak Hill Cemetery represents the Rural Cemetery Movement that became fashionable in the United States between the early 1830s and about 1900. In contrast to earlier urban churchyards, the so-called “rural” cemeteries constructed as part of this movement were characterized by locations distinctly outside of the cities they were meant to serve, as well as their naturalistic landscaping and secular orientation.
The property is characterized by its network of meandering drives and walkways, a perimeter of mature woodland with numerous trees and other plantings dotted throughout the landscape, and rolling topography that provides a scenic vista of Geneva Lake at its highest point. Spread throughout this picturesque setting is a wide variety of grave markers and monuments that range from modest stone slabs to grand obelisks and mausoleums. Oak Hill Cemetery is also notable as the burial place of many prominent Chicagoans who maintained vast summer estates in Lake Geneva during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As such, the cemetery is both a remarkable local example of the Rural Cemetery Movement as well as an important addition to the cultural heritage of the city of Lake Geneva.
Property Details
Resources Within The Property
Designations
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
Questions?
Wondering about if your property is eligible or have other questions about the registers, reach out today!
Email UsAttribution
For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.
The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.
For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.
