The Pfisters

Tom went to my brother's house this morning to help him with an electrical problem, so I went out & finished weeding the very back of the yard. The weed barrier is all down, so now we just have to go get mulch. Maybe Monday I'll start on the side of the yard! When Tom got home we decided to go for a drive & then out to dinner. He was just meandering, & we ended up near the cemetary, so we drove in. This cemetary is one of the most beautiful in the midwest; it was chartered in 1849 & much of the land for it was on the main part of the virgin forest in this area--therefore it was named "Forest Home". Walking through it while looking at the gravestones is like taking a walk through our city's past....There are 4 former Wisconsin governors buried here, 15 former Milwaukee Mayors, many industrialists whose companies are still here & whose names are so well known because of the streets that bear their names, & of course the MOST important (haha)--the founders of all the "power houses" of beer---Jacob Best, Joseph Schlitz, Frederick Pabst & Valentin Blatz! However, I didn't choose one of the beer baron's memorials, but rather that of Guido & Elizabeth Pfister. This is the sculpture that sits atop their memorial---Tom & I wondered if it's a likeness of Elizabeth--- but I couldn't find anything verifying this online. Guido & his son, Charles, built the famous Pfister Hotel in 1893 at a cost of more than one million dollars. It became known as the "Grand Hotel of the West" & is still in operation today, known for it's elegance, outstanding architecture, superior service, & for housing the largest hotel collection of Victorian Art in the U.S. The hotel is also said to be haunted. Visiting major league baseball teams stay at the Pfister when they come to play the Brewers, & some of the players refuse to stay here anymore--they, along with many other travelers, report hearing strange noises in the night, seeing their things being moved around, & switches & faucets being turned off & on. The staff says it Guido, making sure everything is in working order! Come stay at the Pfister & decide for yourselves!! :))