Point of the Past

Point of the Past Discovering and honoring the people & history of Stevens Point, Wisconsin through its cemeteries. I clean headstones as a volunteer. I would love to do it!

I'm a disabled Stevens Point native who loves local history and photography and I'm looking forward to sharing what I find here. If you have family connections in Stevens Point/Portage County, Wisconsin and would like those stones photographed or cleaned, please message me for details. There is no charge, but donations for supplies are accepted. I also do research on local families and will be sharing some stories here. As a Find a Grave volunteer, I add details and family connections whenever possible. If you'd like to donate to help cover the cost of supplies so I can continue this project on a regular basis, you can donate to me via PayPal or Venmo at , or send a message to the page for a mailing address. You can also purchase digital gift cards from Atlas Preservation (where I get all of my supplies) and email them to jenbrilo@gmail.com. The link for gift cards is https://atlaspreservation.com/products/atlas-preservation-gift-card

Thank you for joining me on this journey of preservation and discovery. Jen Brilowski

12/17/2025

The Stevens Point Chapter will be laying wreaths at Forest Cemetery on Saturday, December 20 at 11:00a.m. Please join us and help us honor those who have served our country.

12/05/2025

Wreaths Across America is Dec. 13. 160 wreaths will honor veterans at rest in Forest cemetery following the 11:00 am ceremony at the Korean War Memorial. Please join us!

12/01/2025
I remain grateful for the opportunity to share these stories. I'll continue to honor the people who served our country a...
11/11/2025

I remain grateful for the opportunity to share these stories. I'll continue to honor the people who served our country and built our community.

We thank them all.
11/11/2025

We thank them all.

Thank You Veterans! We pay respects to all of our U.S. veterans who served in our nation’s armed forces. For those who have given so much in the name of freedom. It is our honor to serve the families of veterans and ensure they know the extent of the benefits they are entitled to. Today we remember the families and veterans the Pisarski Family has served at Pisarski Funeral Homes in 2025…

It was a beautiful night for a walk with my best guy. Check the last photo for a message from him.
10/14/2025

It was a beautiful night for a walk with my best guy. Check the last photo for a message from him.

Endurance Gravestone and Monument Cleaner is a newer product, and has become my first choice- though D/2 is still safe t...
10/13/2025

Endurance Gravestone and Monument Cleaner is a newer product, and has become my first choice- though D/2 is still safe to use!

We take "do no harm" seriously and hope you do, too.

Find Endurance and other supplies at Atlas Preservation.

Just a few tickets are left for Saturday night- hope to see you there.
10/10/2025

Just a few tickets are left for Saturday night- hope to see you there.

This Saturday is a perfect Autumn evening to take a Forest Cemetery Twilight Tour with local cemetery researcher Jen Brilowski, sharing stories of love, loss, and triumph that you'll never forget!

Forest Cemetery Twilight Tour
📍2135 Patch St
🕔Saturday, October 11 at 5PM
Only a few tickets remain, so get yours today: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/portagecountyhistoricalsocietytours/event/forestcemeterytwilighttouroct10thcopy/

If a behind the scenes tour of one of the oldest continuously operating Breweries in the United States is up your alley, join Beer Historian John Harry on his Point Brewery History Tour this Friday!

Point Brewery History Tour
📍2617 Water St
🕓Friday, October 10 at 4PM
For more information and to purchase tickets: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/pointbrewerytours/event/pbrewhistotoucop/

Our Featured Exhibit, Rhythms of the River: The History of Music in Portage County also has open hours this weekend. For only $5, see how we are all connected to the music that shaped and transformed our county.

Heritage Park Open Hours
📍2700 Madison Ave
🕚Friday, October 10 from 12-4PM and Saturday, October 11 from 10AM-2PM

FINALLY, I'm getting some 2025 days in my favorite place! It's been straight up magical, and I can't wait to share the l...
09/27/2025

FINALLY, I'm getting some 2025 days in my favorite place! It's been straight up magical, and I can't wait to share the lives of some of the people who are finding me on my upcoming tours, including this year's Forest Cemetery Twilight Tours for the Portage County Historical Society. I'll share some stories here this winter, but am still working on an alternative space that will be easier and better viewing for ALL of us. Misspelling common words to get posts through to you isn't fun for any of us and I'm glad you're still here.

Yes, I'm still having to do a lot of damage control- literally- on many stones, but if that's what I'm called to do, I'll do it. Being asked to care for stones by a family and discovering they've been mishandled by someone else is discouraging, but documenting damage for descendants is part of the work now, and I've reluctantly adapted to it. I can fix bad cleaning, but I can't fix the scratches and other desecration. Luckily(?) most of it seems to be from 2024 and isn't NEW harm, but it's still heartbreaking and unnecessary.

I'm perpetually grateful for the dozens of you who've reached out to offer permissions or request cleanings. I'm glad to offer peace of mind to those who live far away as I check on and care for the memorials of your ancestors. I'm honored to continue the care by pulling weeds, documenting aging stones, and just... visiting. If this post finds you and YOU have family resting in central Wisconsin, I'm happy to help you, too.

Today I'll have the privilege of educating a young group of scouts on how to properly clean and care for stones, and I'm so glad to be able to pass on this knowledge to them! Their enthusiasm is inspiring and has reminded me that there are so many people who care and want to do things the right way- and that will carry me into 2026.

Enjoy your weekend- I know I will!
Jen

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Stevens Point, WI
54481

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