La_Belle_Cemetery
La Belle Cemetery
Cemetery in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
La Belle Cemetery is in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.[1] Built in 1851, and originally called Henshall Place, it was the first cemetery recorded in Oconomowoc.[citation needed] The cemetery then moved to Walnut Street. In 1864, the Wisconsin Legislature approved the removal of all the bodies from Oconomowoc Cemetery on Walnut Street to the current La Belle Cemetery grounds.[2] The land that is now the grounds for the La Belle Cemetery was first owned by Charles Sheldon, which he donated when the Oconomowoc Cemetery became too crowded.[3]
The oldest recorded stones in the cemetery have been there since the early 1800s. Some graves have no headstone and there are no records of who is buried there, just a little X marking a burial spot.[citation needed] The most common symbols found on the headstones are religious crosses. The two mausoleums people visit are the ones for the Kohl family and the Sheldon family.[citation needed] In the cemetery, there is a section for infants and children younger than six years old.[citation needed] Another section was specified for the newest style headstones, which are black marble with pictures and drawings.[citation needed]