Talking Spirits Cemetery Tour-v2026

Today’s post is 1700 words, 14 photos, a 7.5-minute read. Enjoy!

Hi everyone,

This week, I’m taking you on a guided walking tour of Forest Hills Cemetery here in Madison. During the tour, we’ll meet four actors portraying influential individuals who are buried in this cemetery.

Thanks for all the views and comments on recent posts. If you missed them, click here, here, here, and here.

Let’s get started.

Talking Spirits

It was a sunny, breezy Sunday afternoon when we arrived at Forest Hills Cemetery for the Talking Spirits tour. This is the 28th year the Wisconsin Veterans Museum has held these tours as a fundraiser. These tours are very popular and are often sold out. Fortunately, my Traveling Partner scored a couple of $15 tickets for one of the afternoon tours. I’ll admit I was somewhat reluctant to participate; next year I’ll willingly endorse attending this interesting historical event. This year’s tour highlights the contributions of Wisconsinites who embodied and advanced the ideals that sparked the fight for American Independence. 

Since we arrived a little early for the tour, we had a chance to look around. Several years ago, I took part in a photography workshop where we spent one morning shooting photos in this cemetery. This time, I noticed the large tomb nearby where Charles Kendall Adams, the 8th President of the University of Wisconsin, is buried. He served from 1892 until 1902, when he resigned due to ill health. He died a short time later. His wife Mary died a few months later. Prior to his time at UW-Madison, he was President of Cornell University in New York. At UW, he was known for recruiting prominent scholars, securing increasing appropriations from the legislature, and expanding the student population. Sounded like an interesting fellow.

Soon it was time for our tour time slot. I’ll call our tour guide Dan, since I can remember his name. Dan retired from the military and taught high school history for many years.

As we walked to the first station, he shared stories of some of the famous people buried in Forest Hill. This spherical headstone prompted one of those stories.

This impressive granite monument, topped with a massive sphere, is one of the more distinctive memorials at Forest Hill Cemetery. The sphere is said to represent the unending circle of life—a fitting symbol of remembrance for someone whose contribution to Madison generations still enjoy. That person is Daniel Tenney, an early UW student, successful lawyer, and best remembered for donating the land that became Tenney Park on Madison’s east side.

Lillian Frautschi Baker

The first “talking spirit” on our tour was Lillian Frautschi Baker. I should mention that professional actors portrayed all the “spirits,” and a professional scriptwriter wrote their presentations based on historical records.

Lillian (1883–1962) was a Madison woman whose life reflected the experiences of an immigrant family building a future in Wisconsin. The daughter of Swiss immigrants Christian and Elizabeth Frautschi, she grew up in a large family that became well established in Madison through its furniture and undertaking businesses. Lillian later married Dr. E. E. Baker, a Madison dentist and World War I veteran, and wrote letters to him while he served in Europe. Her story reflects family, community, and service to the country, helping build Madison into a growing city. Click here to see the YouTube video of Mary Wallen as Lillian.

General George Bryant

General George E. Bryant (1832–1907) was a prominent Wisconsin Civil War veteran, attorney, and public servant whose life was closely tied to Madison and Wisconsin’s history. Born in Massachusetts, Bryant moved to Wisconsin and became a lawyer before the Civil War. During the war, he served in the Union Army, commanding the 12th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment and participating in Sherman’s March to the Sea. He later rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Wisconsin National Guard.

After the war, Bryant remained an influential figure in public life. He served as Dane County judge for 12 years, represented the area in the Wisconsin Legislature, and held several state and local appointments, including Madison postmaster. He also advocated for preserving Wisconsin’s military history and helped establish the original home of what became the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.  See his story here as told by actor Bryan Royston.

John Bardeen

Who knew that five people have won the Nobel Prize more than once? I didn’t. One of those was Madison native John Bardeen (1908-1991). He became one of the most accomplished scientists of the 20th century. His father was the first dean of the University of Wisconsin Medical School. John graduated from UW-Madison with degrees in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. in Physics from Princeton University. After serving in World War II, he worked as a researcher at Bell Labs and professor at the University of Illinois. He won the first of his two Nobel Prizes in Physics with two other scientists for developing the transistor. This revolutionized electronics, making possible things like smaller radios, computers, cell phones, and much of the technology we use today.

In 1972, he won his second Nobel Prize for developing the theory of superconductivity. While he spent most of his professional life at the University of Illinois, he maintained his Wisconsin and Madison roots. He and his wife are buried at Forest Hill Cemetery.
Click here to see actor Mathew Korda portray John Bardeen.
I would be remiss not to mention that UW-Madison professor Francis Halzen was recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of neutrinos; much of the work was done at the South Pole. He’s the sixth UW-affiliated physicist to receive a Nobel Prize.

Dr. William S. Middleton

As a former employee of the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, I found this presentation fascinating and educational. Born in Pennsylvania in 1890, William Middleton earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and joined the UW Medical School faculty in 1912. He became Dean in 1935, a position he held for 20 years. He was known as an exceptional teacher and compassionate physician who influenced generations of medical students. He helped establish UW-Madison as an important center for medical education and research.

Dr. Middleton served his country in both World Wars. During World War I, he provided medical care to American and British troops in France. For his service, he was awarded a Victory Medal with seven clasps. He also met his wife, Maude, an Army nurse in France.  During World War II, he served as chief medical consultant for the European Theater of Operations, advising military medical personnel and improving medical care for servicemen. In 1955, he became chief medical director of the Veterans Administration, where he encouraged medical research and strengthened cooperation between VA hospitals and medical schools. In recognition of his contributions to veterans, Madison’s VA hospital was renamed the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in 1976, following his death. His legacy lives on through the thousands of veterans, patients, and medical professionals whose lives were touched by his work.

In his personal life, Dr. Middleton was an avid tennis player, known as a fierce competitor on the court, and also enjoyed handball. His love of physical activity continued well into old age. Every summer morning, he swam in Lake Mendota—a routine he maintained until he was 81. For a man whose career was devoted to caring for others, staying active was clearly an important part of his own life.

Doug Reed portrayed Dr. Middleton. Click here for the YouTube video of his presentation.

The Rest of the Tour

The Soldiers’ Lot at Forest Hill Cemetery is a solemn reminder of Madison’s role in the Civil War. Established in 1862, the section known as Soldiers’ Rest became the final resting place for approximately 240 Union soldiers, many of whom died while receiving treatment at Harvey U.S. General Hospital or while training at nearby Camp Randall. The grounds include memorials to the unknown dead and to eight children who died at the Wisconsin Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home.

Just a short distance away is a very different Civil War burial ground: Confederate Rest, where approximately 140 Confederate prisoners of war were buried after dying at Camp Randall in 1862, many from illness and exposure. The two sections place the human cost of the war side by side as a reminder of the young men who died far from home, on both sides of the conflict.

The monument in the photo below is the Vilas family obelisk, one of the most prominent monuments at Forest Hill Cemetery. It is a massive granite shaft, reportedly about 32 feet tall, marking the family burial plot. After arriving in the city in 1851, the Vilas family became one of Madison’s influential families. William and Anna Vilas, gave Madison the land that became Henry Vilas Park and Zoo

I don’t know if it was Milo or Joanne who included the following phrase on their headstone. “Thank you for coming, pardon us for not rising.” They are likely chuckling every time someone stops to read their note to the upright world!

 

This distinctive tree-stump monument marks the grave of W. I. Schleicher (1880-1910).  The headstone is carved to resemble a rough tree trunk, complete with deeply textured bark, broken branches, and what appears to be a vine or leafy growth winding around it. Above it is a circular emblem associated with the Woodmen of the World, a fraternal benefit organization that provided life insurance for its members and erected distinctive tree-stump-shaped monuments for some of them. The tree imagery suggests strength, endurance, and the natural cycle of life. It is a striking example of how a gravestone can tell a story not only about the person buried there, but also about the organizations and traditions that were important in his time.

This last photo shows the mausoleum at Forest Hill Cemetery in late-afternoon sunlight.

I would recommend this tour to anyone interested in history and the people who made history.

That’s it for this week. For the next few weeks, I’ll bring back some of my previous posts, as I will be on extended travel

But before I go……

THE FIVE SENSES PLUS ONE

Saw – thousands of headstones, many trees with the beginning of the leaf drop, people walking, some with dogs on a leash

Heard – the scuffle of shoes on the asphalt road, birds chirping, cars driving on Speedway, peace and mostly quiet in the cemetery

Touch – the smooth and rough of the headstone

Smell – flowers

Taste – water

Learned – the history of some of Madison’s prominent citizens

Until then, happy travels,

Tom

PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM

 

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