Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainNeoclassical tomb of Titanic victim Dr. William Minahan, whose skull was stolen by trophy hunters in 1985 and later recovered
2900 Riverside Dr., Green Bay, WI 54301
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Public cemetery; free to visit during open hours
Access
Wheelchair OK
Maintained cemetery grounds with paved paths; mausoleum is on level terrain
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1912 · RMS Titanic — Dr. William Edward Minahan, first-class victim · Body recovery — among retrieved Titanic dead · 1985 grave robbery and skull recovery — documented criminal case
William Edward Minahan was born in 1877 and became a practicing physician in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In April 1912 he traveled to Europe with his wife Lillian and his sister Daisy, booking first-class return passage aboard the RMS Titanic. The ship struck an iceberg on the night of April 14–15 and sank in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912. Dr. Minahan did not survive; he was 34 years old. His wife and sister were among the Titanic survivors.
Minahan's body was recovered from the North Atlantic — not all Titanic victims were found — and returned to Green Bay for burial. The family commissioned a Neoclassical mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery on Riverside Drive, a structure that reflects the architectural tastes of prosperous early 20th-century Wisconsin families. His name and dates are inscribed on the exterior.
In 1985, the mausoleum was broken into by trophy hunters who removed Dr. Minahan's skull. Green Bay police investigated, recovered the skull, and it was reinterred. The incident drew renewed public attention to the site and its place in Titanic history. Atlas Obscura later documented the mausoleum as a site of dark-tourism interest, noting both the Titanic connection and the 1985 grave robbery.
Sources
The Minahan Mausoleum's draw is historical rather than paranormal. The combination of a prominent Titanic victim, a recovered body, a family-commissioned stone tomb, and a documented 1985 desecration creates a layered history that has made the site a point of interest for dark-tourism visitors and Titanic researchers.
The 1985 break-in is the most discussed element in modern accounts. The theft of a skull from a Titanic victim's tomb attracted police attention and local news coverage, and the story circulated in regional media before Atlas Obscura later compiled it for a national audience. The incident did not result in any paranormal lore — there are no reported apparitions or haunting accounts associated with the crypt — but it contributed to the mausoleum's reputation as an unusual and historically significant site.
The mausoleum is accessible during Woodlawn Cemetery's public hours, and Titanic enthusiasts include it on visits to Wisconsin sites connected to the disaster.
Notable Entities
Visit the Minahan Mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery — a Neoclassical structure holding the remains of Dr. William Edward Minahan, a first-class passenger who died when the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912. His body was among those recovered from the North Atlantic and returned to Green Bay.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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