These two graves keep me company atop Bascom Hill. Most UW students are unaware of their presence, yet the graves are located to my left, in front of Bascom Hall. Two metal squares mark the final resting places of William Nelson and Samuel Warren. According to an Oct. 22 article in Wisconsin Week, Nelson died in 1837 of typhoid and Warren was killed by lightning while helping to construct the Capitol in 1838. Both men were part of the first permanent white settlers group to come to Madison.