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 sha

ring 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 [email protected]. 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

We might have a chance to level things out soon... Check out the comments to learn a bit more and leave some feedback!
08/23/2026

We might have a chance to level things out soon... Check out the comments to learn a bit more and leave some feedback!

Check out the comments to see how this stone looked in 2023, then fill out the form to (potentially) help us fix it as w...
08/22/2026

Check out the comments to see how this stone looked in 2023, then fill out the form to (potentially) help us fix it as we work to become official caretakers of our cemeteries. Please share with others!

https://forms.gle/2HiDF3ryXhQu6h9u9

The questionnaire will be shared later today- I'm feeling hopeful about our next steps!
08/22/2026

The questionnaire will be shared later today- I'm feeling hopeful about our next steps!

This one was a "spray and walk away" yesterday and I can't wait to see what the rain has rinsed off for us. It's going t...
08/22/2026

This one was a "spray and walk away" yesterday and I can't wait to see what the rain has rinsed off for us. It's going to be dramatically better by this fall, but I next spring will really show us its full beauty. It's good to have little things to look forward to! 🪦🪦🪦

This is the back of the stone- I'll share the front when it's clean!

Hey cemetery friends... Over the past five years, I've talked to hundreds of you in this space, around town, and on tour...
08/21/2026

Hey cemetery friends...

Over the past five years, I've talked to hundreds of you in this space, around town, and on tours and so many have said, "If I can ever help, let me know," and well... I'm letting you know! I NEED HELP!

Next year could be a big year for Point of the Past. Things are still fluid as I explore all the avenues, have all the meetings, and investigate the important details, but I CAN tell you that there are a couple of promising possibilities that would mean greater ability to preserve and protect Forest and Union Cemeteries (and maybe more), including leveling, raising, repairing, and continuing to clean stones, beautifying with plants, and SO MANY other plans... but some of it depends on you. And since I'm disabled, once the heavier work starts, I'm definitely going to need extra hands, so we'll build a dedicated volunteer team to bring perpetual care back to Point cemeteries!

There will be many ways to show up, and all of them matter. Yes, we're going to need big dollars as we get started, but I have no doubt that this generous community we've built can make it happen. Beyond that, we'll need physical labor, marketing help (sharing on social media counts!), time & talent donations, and... so much more. If you have ideas, please save them for now- I don't want them to get lost in the shuffle!

I'll be sharing a Google Form questionnaire tomorrow (Saturday) with some questions to gauge interest, so watch this space. Filling out the form is just a first step-- you will NOT be committing to ANYTHING, nor will I. It's just the most efficient way for me to get a feel for things right now!

Attached are photos of just a few of our community members' memorials that need a little care. There are hundreds of them waiting, and I want to save them all. My goal is for us to be working on them next spring, if not sooner.

More than ever, and as always, thank you for being here.
Jen

Last night I was able to spend some time chatting with a friend in the cemetery; I sprayed this stone beforehand, and af...
08/19/2026

Last night I was able to spend some time chatting with a friend in the cemetery; I sprayed this stone beforehand, and after spending a few minutes with it after my friend left, Grafton's stone looks SO much better, and offers him more dignity at his gravesite.

He was a lifelong mail carrier, even making sure letters got delivered in WWII! He spent most of his life in Stevens Point, marrying Isabelle Skinner at the Episcopal Church of the Intercession in 1937; they raised three children here, and gave back to the community in many ways. You can learn a bit more about him from the SPJ clipping below, and just maybe you'll hear more about the family on upcoming tours...

I've been reflecting a lot on some of the feedback I get about my work and writing and I can't overemphasize that for me, DOING THE WORK is the thing. Writing, cleaning stones, pulling weeds, doing research -- I WANT TO DO THE LABOR. I'm not interested in shortcuts, big numbers or going viral, nor am I in competition with anyone. I care about our cemeteries and all of the people resting within them. I want to preserve these monuments, uncover & share the stories of the people they belong to, and improve and protect our cemeteries as the special green spaces they are.

That said, these stones don't need hard labor or scrubbing- just a little time and specific care... and so much rinsing. I'll continue to do it right, correcting the errors of others when possible, and focusing on my "why" which is always ALWAYS community.

See you out there,
Jen

08/17/2026

For this week's blast from the past, we have an unidentified photo and recommendations for your personal collections.

This photo was likely taken during a local high school's theater performance in Portage County. However, since it does not have any identification, finding the year it was taken, the school, or the students involved is quite difficult! Our first recommendation for anyone who keeps photos is to write down what you remember.

Making it even more difficult to identify this photo are the ghostly lines that you can see in this image. This photo has vinegar syndrome; a photo "disease" where the film layers separate from each other. Once it starts it cannot be fixed, and it can actually spread to other images, too! If you have film negatives, we recommend packing them with barriers between the photos, and keeping them in a cool, dry location. This helps to prevent and slow the spread of vinegar syndrome.

If you recognize any part of this photo, please send us a message.

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