Talking Spirits Cemetery Tours
A tradition of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum since 1998, Talking Spirits Cemetery Tours, bring to life the interesting and often unknown stories of souls interred at Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison. Cemetery Tours are held each autumn. Look for 2023 tours information beginning in August.
Talking Spirits Virtual Cemetery Tours 2020, 2021, and 2022
In the interest of the health and safety of our community in 2020 the Wisconsin Veterans Museum reimagined it's annual cemetery tours event from in-person tours to virtual tours. We continue to offer access to the 2020 Talking Spirits Virtual Cemetery Tour today with the addition of the 2021 and 2022 vignettes.
The Wisconsin Veterans Museum is pleased to be in the serene and somber landscape of Madison's Forest Hill Cemetery to share with you the rich history of Wisconsin and its veterans. On this virtual tour we are excited to take you to places in the cemetery and show you interesting photos and objects we would not be able to if we were in person.
Video Vignettes
The video vignettes for the 2022 Talking Spirts Cemetery Tour have been uploaded to the virtual tour below. Their frame numbers in the tour are noted here:
Notley Henderson: Frame 3
John Wayles Hemings Jefferson: Frame 19
Captain Frank Newton: Frame 27
Anna Mae Miller Video: Frame 39
Navigation Notes
- Before you enter the tour, please note the navigation symbols you will encounter. They are presented in the bar below.
- Anything that appears to be a graphic is a spot you can click to either move or view a point of interest. If you hover over these spots, they will tell you what to do.
- Click on the golden arrow to move forward in the tour.
- Pan and click on the red arrow to move backward.
- To pan: click, hold, and drag your mouse.
- If you would like to make the tour image fill your screen, click on the three dots in the upper right corner.
- To show the individual scenes of the tour, find the white photo icons at the center-bottom of the tour. Click on the icon to toggle the scene ribbon on and off.
Videos
- The videos you will encounter are linked to YouTube.
- When the video is complete, simply close the video window by clicking the X in the upper right corner or press escape on your keyboard.
- All videos have been captioned.
Please note: this tour is best viewed on a desktop, laptop, or tablet. The time needed to view the entire tour is approximately one hour.
Scroll down to begin.
Navigation Legend
Thank you to our generous sponsors:
This project is supported by Dane County Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. This project is also funded in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, with funds from the National Endowment for Humanities and the State of Wisconsin. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Wisconsin Humanities Council supports and creates programs that use history, culture, and discussion to strengthen community life for everyone in Wisconsin.
This production is costumed in part with the assistance of Children's Theater of Madison and the Madison Arts Production Center.
If you would like to support this project, please visit the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation for ideas on how to help.