Thursday Thirteen 394: Autumn Cemetery

More photos from Forest Hill Cemetery, Madison -- I believe this array shows the age and beauty of the cemetery, which predates the Civil War. You'll note that many are time-worn or broken. There is much debate among taphophiles as to whether older and/or damaged grave markers should be repaired or replaced. In some instances, descendants may opt to repair or replace broken monuments, sometimes leaving the old one alongside the new.

This is one of my favorite photos taken during my visit last year.

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY AND SAFE HALLOWEEN!


LINKING TO: Thursday Thirteen

Thursday Thirteen 393: Graveyard Symbolism

Last week I shared some of the graves of prominent Madisonians buried at Forest Hill Cemetery. This week I thought I would share some of the common symbols found in cemetery art/grave markers. As with last week, these were all taken by me last fall at Forest Hill Cemetery.

A scroll can symbolize the scriptures, honor and commemoration,
or serve as a symbol of life and time. If both ends are rolled
up as they are here, it usually indicates a life unfolding like a scroll. 

Lambs are the saddest of images to find in a cemetery.
They are a symbol of innocence and usually denote
the grave of a young child. 

Draped Column: Columns symbolize mortality or a noble
 life. If the column is draped, it means a life cut short. 

Ivy symbolizes faithfulness, memory and undying friendship. 

Books denote faith and wisdom. This is actually a family
marker, on my paternal grandmother’s side. Due to time
and lichens, it is difficult to tell if there was a symbol or
something written on the book cover. 

Obelisks are one of the more popular shapes of grave markers 
from the late 1800's. Some may be only a few feet tall, while
 others soar towards the sky. An obelisk can symbolize
foundation or fatherhood, as well as rebirth, and are
often found in family plots, where the names of different
family members buried together may be inscribed on
different sides of the obelisk.  

Here we have an open book, symbolizing the Book of Life. 
You’ll note also the Star of David for “divine protection,” 
and indicating a Jewish grave. Many of the markers in 
the Jewish section have Hebrew writing as well — 
some only a few words, while others are all in Hebrew.

Orbs also come in many different sizes, from a small sphere 
atop a grave marker, to a large sphere  that makes up the majority
of the marker as with the Tenney monument. An orb symbolizes
the soul or celestial body and the reward of resurrection. 

An arch symbolizes the passage to heaven. You'll
note also the urn on top, as with another photo below.  

Tree trunks or stumps often denote the graves of Woodmen of the
World members, but can also indicate a life cut short, as is the
case here. Annie and Lillie Ramsey both died young, at ages
two and five respectively. You’ll note also the scroll, or life unfolding. 

Oak leaves stand for longevity, 
meaning the deceased led a long life.  

Urns are also popular symbols found on graves,
 denoting the soul. It can be an actual urn, such as that 
of the Bunn grave pictured here, or etched 
onto the marker itself. You'll note also the columns. 

Clasped Hands indicate unity or farewell to an earthly
existence. They can also indicate that spouses have
been reunited in death.

LINKING TO: Thursday Thirteen

Thursday Thirteen 392: Who's Who at Forest Hill Cemetery

In the autumn of 2014, I spent an afternoon at historic Forest Hill Cemetery here in Madison, but never got round to sharing some of the 200+ photos taken that day. I figured this October was a good time to finally do so.

Forest Hill predates the Civil War, and among its many features includes Soldiers Lot, where Union troops from the Civil War are buried, and Soldier's Rest, the northern-most Confederate Graveyard. You'll also see many familiar names while wandering amongst the graves. With many prominent and old families buried here, it is a veritable "who's who" of Madison. Here are a few of the more familiar names you'll find at Forest Hill.

Truax Field is a US Air National Guard filed near the Dane
County Regional Airport on Madison's north side. It was named
for Wisconsin-native Lieutenant Thomas L. Truax, who was
killed in a P-40 training accident in November 1941.

Named for Frank W. Hoyt, Hoyt Park is a former quarry and quiet
 little park on Madison's west side. I blogged about it here in 2007. 

John Myers Olin was the father of the Madison parks system. There were only 3-1/2
acres of parkland when he started, and 269 acres when he died. Olin Park bears his name.

Henry Turvill was a local farmer who sold part of his land for a site
where a spa/resort called the Water Cure was built. The site went
bankrupt after two years, and the property eventually returned to the
Turvills. An "e" was added to the end of the name around 1905. The
land came to the city in 1967, and was officially designated a
conservation park in 1998. Read more here.

James Doty was a member of the US House of Representatives, the
second governor of Wisconsin and fifth governor of Utah Territory.
He is responsible for Madison being chosen the state capitol, a city
that only existed on paper at the time. A street and parking ramp
 currently bear his name.

The memorial for Daniel Kent Tenney is one of the more ostentatious
monuments found at Forest Hill. Tenney was an attorney in Madison and
 Chicago who purchased land for a city park that now bears his name -- 
and is one of the best places to ice skate in winter, and a popular beach 
and place to fish in summer. The only lochs in the city are at this park.

Breese J Stevens was a Madison Mayor in the late 1800's, and was also
an entrepreneur, UW regent, and curator of the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Breese Stevens Field is named for him, which is on the National Register
of Historic Places and Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places. 

William H. Hamilton was a Lt. Colonel with the 36th Wisconsin
Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, and later served as
Sergeant-at-Arms for the state senate. Hamilton Street bears his name.

The Fairchilds were a prominent family in the 1800's. Jairus Fairchild
was Madison's first mayor and father of Lucius and Cassius.
Lucius served in the Civil War, and was Wisconsin's first 3-term governor.
He also led the efforts to build the Wisconsin Historical Society. His brother
Cassius was a Colonel in the Civil War, an alderman, and a legislator.
He died ten days after he was married, when a war wound reopened while
serving as pall-bearer at a friend's funeral. His wife later remarried. 

John Lathrop was an educator and first president of the University
of Wisconsin. There is a street near campus named for him. The
columns of this monument are for his sons, and represents lives cut short.
His son Leopold died in Madison, and his son John in Mexico.

The Goodmen brothers were prominent jewelers and local philanthropists.
There is a baseball diamond, community center and a city pool name
after them. You can read more about them here

Charles H. Mills was a music professor of  the UW who revitalized
the program and created a four-year music degree. He also promoted
the Wisconsin Music Clinic, a summer program for which high
school students earn college credits, and designed pipe organs for
the Masonic Temple, Music Hall and two churches in the area.
There is a street and UW Music library named for him. 

I believe this obelisk for Vilas is the tallest and heaviest monument
at Forest Hill Cemetery. They had to lay train tracks to the cemetery in
order to transport it there. The Henry Vilas Zoo is named for the son of 
William F. and Anna M. Vilas, who donated 63-acres for the park in 1904.

LINKING TO: Thursday Thirteen

Random Photo: Forest Hill Cemetery

Talking Spirits XII

Monday I promised there would be more pictures from last Sunday's "Talking Spirits" tour. I had planned to get pictures uploaded and processed for this week's Thursday Thirteen, but between one thing and another...it didn't happen.

This was the twelfth year for this annual event, held at Forest Hill Cemetery here in Madison. Forest Hill dates back to 1858 and was laid out as a pleasure park. Families once journeyed here on weekend afternoons for picnics, up until around WWII. With it's hundreds of shade trees and winding paths, it is still a pleasant and quiet place to walk.

Talking Spirits is a "living history" tour, in which actors portray former citizens of Madison who served their country in some capacity, or were affected by war in some way. Though the Civil War has been featured most often, there have also been tours focused on WWI, WWII, and there was even one year that featured a cast spanning the Civil War to Vietnam.

Visitors are guided through Forest Hill Cemetery where they learn about the cemetery's history and about some of the graves and people buried there. Along the 90-min to 2-hour tour, there are five or six stops where visitors "meet" some of those who lived--and served.

Within the grounds of Forest Hill are two Civil War graveyards, Soldiers Lot (where Union troops were laid to rest) and Confederate Rest (where POWs from Camp Randall were buried). Confederate Rest is the northern-most Confederate graveyard in the US.


The tour began with a short introduction in Catlin Chapel before moving across the road to Soldiers Lot. This is where many local troops killed during the Civil War were buried, including about a half dozen unknown soldiers. There are also eight children buried here, orphans from the Soldiers' Orphans Home, founded by Cordelia Harvey. We "met" two of these children on this year's tour, William Blount and Emma Billow. Emma suffered a long, lingering illness, while William was taken ill quite suddenly one day and died before the next morning (although they did not say, my guess would be polio).


Atlas Brewster as William Blount and Destiny Sabljak as Emma Billows. Sabljak's father, John Sable, writes the scripts for the annual tours. Both youngsters were on last year's tour as well.

A teddy bear leans against the grave of Emma Billows.

Unknown actress as Alice Whiting Waterman (I did not get a program this year as they ran out early), instructs vistiors in the history of Confederate Rest and how she came to care for the neglected graveyard. You can read more about her in this post from 2006.


Lt. Alfred Lamson was captured at Gettysburg and spent ten months in Libby Prison, before making a daring escape. After months on the run, he was again taken prisoner, but managed to escape once more. You can read more about him in this post from 2006. After the war, he and his wife moved to Madison, where they grew strawberries and other produce. I think the actor here is Brian Belz, who has participated in previous tours.






Tom Lodewyck reprising his role as Lieutenant Colonel Henry Harnden, another favorite character featured during the 2006 tour. You can read more about his exciting capture of Jefferson Davis here.


As you can see, Lodewyck is an exceptional actor and storyteller who really gets into his role.




The final vignette of the day featured Col. Cassius Fairchild and wife Mary. These two characters were previously featured during the 2007 tour, and I think they were portrayed by the same actors.

This scene is set after the war, when a wound Fairchild received during the Battle of Shiloh was fatally reopened. He died just ten days after he and Mary were married--talk about a short honeymoon!


I hope you enjoyed coming along on this year's Talking Spirits tour with me.


(ETA: Thanks to John Sabljak for letting em know that the actress who portrayed Alice Waterman is Jennifer Poppy.)