Forest Hill Cemetery is located in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, and was one of the first U.S. National Cemeteries established in Wisconsin.

Founding of cemetery

After the first permanent European-American settlers arrived in Madison in the 1830s, the first non-native burials occurred on the current

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

campus, near

Bascom Hill Bascom Hill is the iconic main quadrangle that forms the historic core of the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. It is located on the opposite end of State Street from the Wisconsin State Capitol, and is named after John Bascom, former pr ...

. In the following years other areas within the area were established as informal burying grounds and the first official village cemetery was established in 1847 near what is now Orton Park. In the mid-1850s, a committee was formed to search for another appropriate site in the area to form an official Madison cemetery. The committee members chose the current site, then on the far west side of the city and subsequently bought the original of land for $10,000 from John and Mary Wright. The Wrights had obtained the land from land speculator

James Duane Doty James Duane Doty (November 5, 1799 – June 13, 1865) was a land speculator and politician in the United States who played an important role in the development of Wisconsin and Utah Territory. Early life and legal career A descendant of ''Mayflo ...

, who had obtained it from Alanson Sweet, a territorial council member from

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

. In 1863 the city sold a portion of land from the original purchase to the Roman Catholic Societies for $170. They in turn developed that property into a Catholic cemetery, now known as Resurrection Cemetery. In the 1860s a

receiving vault A receiving vault or receiving tomb, sometimes also known as a public vault, is a structure designed to temporarily store dead bodies in winter months when the ground is too frozen to dig a permanent grave in a cemetery. Technological advancement ...

was built on site. During and following the Civil War, the Soldiers Lot and Confederate Lot were created and in 1865 a well was dug near the plot of Governor Harvey and a windmill was erected over it. In 1878 a chapel was built following a contribution by the family of John Catlin.

Expansion

In 1928 another were purchased, 60 of which are part of the Glenway Golf Course directly behind the present cemetery.

Effigy mounds

The cemetery protects seven precontact

effigy mounds An effigy mound is a raised pile of earth built in the shape of a stylized animal, symbol, religious figure, human, or other figure. The Effigy Moundbuilder culture is primarily associated with the years 550-1200 CE during the Late Woodland Peri ...

, dating from 700 to 1200 CE. The earthworks are shaped like a goose flying down a slope toward Lake Wingra, two panthers, and a linear shape. Three more linear mounds have been destroyed by cemetery development and the goose's head was destroyed by grading for the railroad. The mound group is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1974.

Confederate Rest

A section of the cemetery is known as Confederate Rest. On it lie about 140 Confederate prisoners of war who died while in confinement in a Union camp in Madison,

Camp Randall Camp Randall was a United States Army base in Madison, Wisconsin, the largest staging point for Wisconsin troops entering the American Civil War. At this camp fresh volunteers received quick training before heading off to join the Union Army. Also ...

, in 1862. A stone marker or cenotaph lists the names of 132 of the prisoners who died in custody. In October 2018, the Madison City Council voted 16 to 2 to remove the marker with the list of buried prisoners, overturning the Landmarks Commission, which had denied a permit to remove the marker, which was built in 1906. The eradication of the cenotaph was seen by some in city government as a "reparation," and was supported by the Equal Opportunities Commission of the city government. The removal of the cenotaph was opposed by the Dane County Historical Society. The editorial board of the

Wisconsin State Journal The ''Wisconsin State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin. As of September ...

, noting Confederate Rest is the northernmost Confederate graveyard in the nation, also opposed the removal.

Notable interments

* Henry Cullen Adams (died 1906), member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

David Atwood David Atwood (December 15, 1815 – December 11, 1889) was a nineteenth-century American politician, publisher, editor and printer from Wisconsin. He represented Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Represen ...

(died 1889), member of the U.S. House of Representatives * Theodore W. Brazeau (died 1965), member of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

and lawyer *

Romanzo Bunn Romanzo Norton Bunn (September 24, 1829 – January 25, 1909) was an American lawyer and judge. He was a United States district judge of the Western District of Wisconsin, a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge, and a member of the Wisconsin Stat ...

(died 1909),

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

for the

Western District of Wisconsin The United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin (in case citations, W.D. Wis.) is a federal court in the Seventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are a ...

* John B. Cassoday (died 1907), 9th Chief Justice of the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

, 27th Speaker of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

Orsamus Cole Orsamus R. Cole (August 23, 1819May 5, 1903) was an American lawyer and judge. He served as the 6th Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and, until 2013, was the longest-serving justice in the Court's history, with nearly 37 years on th ...

(died 1903), 4th Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court * Roland B. Day (died 2008), 22nd Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court * Luther S. Dixon (died 1891), 2nd Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court * Lyman C. Draper (died 1891), 5th

Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction The Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes referred to as the State Superintendent of Schools, is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the Wisconsin state government, and acts as the executive head of the Department of ...

, secretary of the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...

Ben C. Eastman Ben C. Eastman (October 24, 1812 – February 2, 1856) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in the Thirty-second and Thirty-third Congres ...

(died 1856), member of the U.S. House of Representatives * Cassius Fairchild (died 1868),

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

officer, wounded at Shiloh, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly *

Jairus C. Fairchild Jairus Cassius Fairchild (December 27, 1801 – July 18, 1862) was an American Democratic politician and a businessman. He was the first State Treasurer of Wisconsin and the first Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin. He was the father of Wisconsin's tent ...

(died 1862), first State Treasurer of Wisconsin, first Mayor of Madison *

Lucius Fairchild Lucius Fairchild (December 27, 1831May 23, 1896) was an American politician, soldier, and diplomat. He served as the tenth Governor of Wisconsin and represented the United States as Minister to Spain under presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and Ja ...

(died 1896), 10th Governor of Wisconsin,

U.S. Minister to Spain The incumbent ambassador is Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón, she was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris on January 7, 2022 and presented her credentials on February 2, 2022. This is a list of United States ambassadors to Spain from 1779 to the ...

, Union Army officer, wounded at Gettysburg * Frank L. Gilbert (died 1930), 19th

Attorney General of Wisconsin The Attorney General of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Forty-five individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Josh Kaul, ...

* Charles R. Gill (died 1883), 9th Attorney General of Wisconsin, Union Army officer *

Louis P. Harvey Louis Powell Harvey (July 22, 1820 – April 19, 1862) was an American politician and the seventh Governor of Wisconsin. He was the first Wisconsin Governor to die in office. Early life Harvey was born in East Haddam, Connecticut, and moved w ...

(died 1862), 7th Governor of Wisconsin, died in office *

Nils P. Haugen Nils Pederson Haugen (March 9, 1849April 23, 1931) was a Norwegian American immigrant, lawyer, and politician. He served four terms in the United States House of Representatives, representing western Wisconsin. He was a leading member of the Pr ...

(1849–1931), U.S. Representative from Wisconsin *

Nathan Heffernan Nathan Stewart Heffernan (August 6, 1920 – April 13, 2007) was an American lawyer and judge. He was the 23rd Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1983 to 1995. Earlier in his career he served as United States Attorney for the ...

(died 2007), 21st Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court * Benjamin F. Hopkins (died 1870), member of the U.S. House of Representatives, died in office * James C. Hopkins (died 1877),

for the

John Wayles Jefferson John Wayles Jefferson (born John Wayles Hemings; May 8, 1835June 12, 1892), was an American businessman and Union Army officer in the American Civil War. He is believed to be a grandson of Thomas Jefferson; his paternal grandmother is Sarah (Sa ...

(died 1892), Union Army officer, grandson of

Sally Hemings Sarah "Sally" Hemings ( 1773 – 1835) was an enslaved woman with one-quarter African ancestry owned by president of the United States Thomas Jefferson, one of many he inherited from his father-in-law, John Wayles. Hemings's mother Elizabet ...

and ( likely)

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

* Eston Hemings Jefferson (died 1856), Son of

and

* Burr W. Jones (died 1935), Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, member of the U.S. House of Representatives *

Belle Case La Follette Isabelle Case La Follette (April 21, 1859 – August 18, 1931) was a women's suffrage, peace, and civil rights activist in Wisconsin, United States. She worked with the Woman's Peace Party during World War I. At the time of her death in 193 ...

(died 1931), activist for

Women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

, peace, and civil rights. Wife of Governor Robert M. La Follette, Sr. *

Philip La Follette Philip Fox La Follette (May 8, 1897August 18, 1965) was an American politician. He was the List of Governors of Wisconsin, 27th and List of Governors of Wisconsin, 29th Governor of Wisconsin, as well as one of the founders of the Wisconsin Progre ...

(died 1965), 27th and 29th Governor of Wisconsin, co-founder of the

Wisconsin Progressive Party The Wisconsin Progressive Party (1934–1946) was a political party that briefly held a dominant role in Wisconsin politics. History The Party was the brainchild of Philip La Follette and Robert M. La Follette, Jr., the sons of the famous Wisco ...

* Robert M. La Follette, Jr., (died 1953)

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

, co-founder of the Wisconsin Progressive Party * Robert M. La Follette, Sr., (died 1925) 20th Governor of Wisconsin, United States Senator, founder of the

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...

, candidate for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

in 1924 * Alexander S. McDill (1822–1875), physician and U.S. congressman * John M. Nelson (1870–1955), U.S. Representative from Wisconsin * Phyllis Ntantala-Jordan (died 2016), South African anti-

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

activist and author *

Byron Paine Byron Paine (October 10, 1827January 13, 1871) was an American lawyer and justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. His successful representation of Ezekiel Gillespie in the 1866 case of ''Gillespie v. Palmer'' resulted in the legal recognition of ...

(died 1871), Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as a lawyer he successfully argued the 1866 case of ''Gillespie v. Palmer'' which established

voting rights Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

in Wisconsin for African Americans * Silas U. Pinney (died 1899), mayor of Madison, 1874-1876, justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1892-1898 * Frederic E. Risser (died 1971) Wisconsin state senator *

Alden Sprague Sanborn Alden Sprague Sanborn (October 21, 1820November 19, 1885) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. He was the 7th Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin, serving from April 1867 to April 1868, and served as County Judge for Dane County, Wisconsin, ...

(died 1885), 7th mayor of Madison * Arthur Loomis Sanborn (died 1920), United States District Judge for the Western District of Wisconsin *

Harry Sauthoff Harry Edward Sauthoff (June 3, 1879 – June 16, 1966) was an American teacher, coach, lawyer and politician from Madison, Wisconsin. The son of a German immigrant, Sauthoff was a 1909 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School. He hel ...

(1849–1966), lawyer, Wisconsin state senator, and U.S. Representative from Wisconsin * Robert G. Siebecker (died 1922), 9th Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, died in office *

George Baldwin Smith George Baldwin Smith (May 22, 1823September 18, 1879) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician. He was the 4th Attorney General of Wisconsin, and the 3rd and 16th mayor of Madison, Wisconsin.4th Attorney General of Wisconsin, 3rd and 16th Mayor of Madison *

John Coit Spooner John Coit Spooner (January 6, 1843June 11, 1919) was a politician and lawyer from Wisconsin. He served in the United States Senate from 1885 to 1891 and from 1897 to 1907. A Republican, by the 1890s, he was one of the "Big Four" key Republicans ...

(1843–1919), Wisconsin state assemblyman and U.S. Senator from Wisconsin *

William Robert Taylor William Robert Taylor (July 10, 1820March 17, 1909) was an American politician and the 12th Governor of Wisconsin from 1874 to 1876. Early life Taylor was born in Woodbury, Connecticut. He was orphaned at age 6 when his father's ship was lost ...

(died 1909), 12th Governor of Wisconsin *

William Freeman Vilas William Freeman Vilas (July 9, 1840August 27, 1908) was an American lawyer, politician, and United States Senator. In the U.S. Senate, he represented the state of Wisconsin for one term, from 1891 to 1897. As a prominent Bourbon Democrat, he wa ...

(1840–1908), U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of the Interior and Postmaster General *

Aad J. Vinje Aad John Vinje (November 10, 1857March 23, 1929) was a Norwegian American immigrant, lawyer, and jurist. He was the 12th chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, serving from 1922 until his death in 1929. He previously served 15 years as a ...

(died 1929), 10th Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, died in office * Ernest Warner (died 1930), Wisconsin legislator, namesake of Madison's

Warner Park Warner Park is a community park on the northeast side of Madison, Wisconsin near Lake Mendota. Warner Park is also the home to the Madison Mallards baseball team, a member of the Northwoods League. Its stadium, nicknamed the "Duck Pond", was ...

Thomas T. Whittlesey Thomas Tucker Whittlesey (December 8, 1798 – August 20, 1868) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Connecticut from 1836 to 1839. Biography Thomas Tucker Whitt ...

(1798–1868), U.S. Representative from Connecticut * Emmert L. Wingert (died 1971), Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice

Notes

References

External links

* *
Forest Hill Cemetery: A Guide
– An introduction to various aspects of the cemetery, including its history and ecology; the symbols used on gravestones and the geology of those stones; the religious traditions and rituals represented; the effigy mounds constructed on the site long before it became a modern cemetery; and the geography and business of death. * {{Coord, 43.0633773, -89.4320049, type:landmark_region:US-WI_source:GNIS, display=title Cemeteries in Wisconsin Geography of Madison, Wisconsin Historic American Landscapes Survey in Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Madison, Wisconsin Protected areas of Dane County, Wisconsin