Graceland Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Graceland Cemetery is a large Victorian era
cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown
, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, USA. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street
and Irving Park Road. The Sheridan
stop on the Red Line
is the nearest CTA "L"
station.
in 1871, Lincoln Park
which had been the city's cemetery, was deconsecrated and some of the bodies moved here. The edge of the pond around Daniel Burnham
's burial island was once lined with broken headstones and coping transported from Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park then became a recreational area, with a single mausoleum remaining, the "Couch tomb", containing the remains of Ira Couch.
The cemetery is typical of those that reflect Queen Victoria's reconception of the early 19th century "graveyard". Instead of poorly-maintained headstones, and bodies buried on top of each other, on an ungenerous parcel of land; the cemetery became a pastoral landscaped park dotted with memorial markers, with room left over for picnics, a common usage of cemeteries. The landscape architecture for Graceland was designed by Ossian Cole Simonds
.
The cemetery's walls are topped off with wrought iron spear point fencing.
, the Martin Ryerson Mausoleum (both designed by architect Louis Sullivan
, who is also buried here), and the Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum
. The industrialist George Pullman
was buried at night, in a lead-lined coffin within an elaborately reinforced steel-and-concrete vault, to prevent his body from being exhumed and desecrated by labor activists.
Along with its other famous burials the cemetery is notable for two statues by sculptor Lorado Taft
, Eternal Silence
for the Graves family plot and The Crusader
that marks Victor Lawson
's final resting place.
(further north), and Oak Woods (South of Hyde Park) which includes a major monument to Confederate civil war dead.
In addition to the larger ones noted above, directly south of Graceland is the German Protestant Wunder's Cemetery & Jewish Graceland Cemetery (divided by a fence), established in 1851. Also, Saint Boniface Cemetery is four blocks north of Graceland at the corner of Clark & Lawrence.
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown
Uptown, Chicago
Uptown is one of Chicago’s 77 community areas. Uptown has well defined boundaries. They are: Foster on the north; Lake Michigan on the east; Montrose , and Irving Park on the south; Ravenswood , and Clark on the west. Uptown borders three community areas and Lake Michigan...
, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, USA. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street
Clark Street (Chicago)
Clark Street is a north-south street in Chicago, Illinois that runs close to the shore of Lake Michigan from the northern city boundary with Evanston, to 2200 South in the city street numbering system...
and Irving Park Road. The Sheridan
Sheridan (CTA)
Sheridan is an 'L' station on the CTA's Red Line. It is an elevated station with two island platforms, located at 3940 North Sheridan Road, in the of Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago's Lakeview community area. Sheridan is the closest 'L' stop to Graceland Cemetery, which is about one-half...
stop on the Red Line
Red Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The northern terminus of the Red Line is Howard Street in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago , on the City Limits farthest north. The Red Line extends southeasterly on an elevated embankment structure about a half-mile west of the lakefront to Touhy Avenue then turns south along Glenwood...
is the nearest CTA "L"
Chicago 'L'
The L is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs. It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority...
station.
History and geography
In the 19th century, a train to the north suburbs occupied the eastern edge of the cemetery where the "L" now rides. The line was also used to carry mourners to funerals, in specially rented funeral cars, requiring an entry on the east wall, now closed. At that point, the cemetery would have been well outside the city limits of Chicago. After the Great Chicago FireGreat Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
in 1871, Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park is an urban park in Chicago, which gave its name to the Lincoln Park, Chicago community area.Lincoln Park may also refer to:-Urban parks:*Lincoln Park , California*Lincoln Park, San Francisco, California...
which had been the city's cemetery, was deconsecrated and some of the bodies moved here. The edge of the pond around Daniel Burnham
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
's burial island was once lined with broken headstones and coping transported from Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park then became a recreational area, with a single mausoleum remaining, the "Couch tomb", containing the remains of Ira Couch.
The cemetery is typical of those that reflect Queen Victoria's reconception of the early 19th century "graveyard". Instead of poorly-maintained headstones, and bodies buried on top of each other, on an ungenerous parcel of land; the cemetery became a pastoral landscaped park dotted with memorial markers, with room left over for picnics, a common usage of cemeteries. The landscape architecture for Graceland was designed by Ossian Cole Simonds
Ossian Cole Simonds
Ossian Cole Simonds , often known as O. C. Simonds, was an American landscape designer. He preferred the term 'landscape gardener' to that of 'landscape architect'.-Career:...
.
The cemetery's walls are topped off with wrought iron spear point fencing.
Notable tombs and monuments
Many of the cemetery's tombs are of great architectural or artistic interest, including the Getty TombCarrie Eliza Getty Tomb
The Carrie Eliza Getty Tomb, located in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, United States, was commissioned in 1890 by the lumber baron, Henry Harrison Getty, for his wife, Carrie Eliza. It was designed by the noted American architect, Louis Sullivan of the firm Adler & Sullivan...
, the Martin Ryerson Mausoleum (both designed by architect Louis Sullivan
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
, who is also buried here), and the Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum
Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum
The Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum is a tomb in Graceland Cemetery, Chicago. It was designed by Chicago School architect Richard E. Schmidt as a family mausoleum for the Chicago brewer Peter Schoenhofen.-History:...
. The industrialist George Pullman
George Pullman
George Mortimer Pullman was an American inventor and industrialist. He is known as the inventor of the Pullman sleeping car, and for violently suppressing striking workers in the company town he created, Pullman .-Background:Born in Brocton, New York, his family moved to Albion,...
was buried at night, in a lead-lined coffin within an elaborately reinforced steel-and-concrete vault, to prevent his body from being exhumed and desecrated by labor activists.
Along with its other famous burials the cemetery is notable for two statues by sculptor Lorado Taft
Lorado Taft
Lorado Zadoc Taft was an American sculptor, writer and educator. Taft was born in Elmwood, Illinois in 1860 and died in his home studio in Chicago in 1936.-Early years and education:...
, Eternal Silence
Eternal Silence (sculpture)
Eternal Silence, alternatively known as the Dexter Graves Monument or the Statue of Death, is a monument in Chicago's Graceland Cemetery. It is a bronze sculpture set on and backdropped by black granite...
for the Graves family plot and The Crusader
The Crusader (sculpture)
The Crusader, also known as the Victor Lawson Monument, is a memorial marking the grave of Chicago newspaper publisher Victor Lawson. It is in Chicago's historic Graceland Cemetery and was designed by American sculptor Lorado Taft in 1931.-History:...
that marks Victor Lawson
Victor Lawson
Victor Fremont Lawson was an American newspaper publisher. Born in Chicago to Norwegian immigrants, he headed the Chicago Daily News from 1876 to 1925....
's final resting place.
Notable burials
- David AdlerDavid AdlerDavid Adler was a prolific architect, designing over 200 buildings...
, architect - John Peter AltgeldJohn Peter AltgeldJohn Peter Altgeld was the 20th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1893 until 1897. He was the first Democratic governor of that state since the 1850s...
, Governor of Illinois - Philip Danforth Armour, meat packing magnate
- Mary Hastings BradleyMary Hastings BradleyMary Hastings Bradley was a traveler and author. She was the mother of author Alice Sheldon .- Life and work :...
, author - Daniel H. Burnham, architect
- Fred A. BusseFred A. BusseFred Busse was the mayor of Chicago, in the U.S. state of Illinois, from 1907 to 1911.Busse became a local Republican leader, first elected to the Illinois Legislature in 1894, and eventually serving as State Treasurer beginning in 1902...
, mayor of Chicago - Members of the William DeeringWilliam DeeringWilliam Deering was an American businessman and philanthropist.He inherited a woolen mill in Maine, but made his fortune in later life with the Deering Harvester Company.-Life:Deering was born April 25, 1826 in South Paris, Maine...
family - Augustus DickensAugustus DickensAugustus Newnham Dickens was the youngest brother of English novelist Charles Dickens, and the inspiration for his pen name 'Boz'...
, brother of Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
(he died penniless in Chicago) - George Elmslie, architect
- Marshall FieldMarshall FieldMarshall Field was founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores.-Life and career:...
, businessman, retailer, whose memorial was designed by Henry BaconHenry BaconHenry Bacon was an American Beaux-Arts architect who is best remembered for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. , which was his final project.- Education and early career :...
, with sculpture by Daniel Chester FrenchDaniel Chester FrenchDaniel Chester French was an American sculptor. His best-known work is the sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Life and career:...
. - Bob FitzsimmonsBob FitzsimmonsRobert James "Bob" Fitzsimmons , was a British boxer who made boxing history as the sport's first three-division world champion. He also achieved fame for beating Gentleman Jim Corbett, the man who beat John L. Sullivan, and is in The Guinness Book of World Records as the Lightest heavyweight...
, Heavyweight boxing champion, born in Cornwall, UK - Melville FullerMelville FullerMelville Weston Fuller was the eighth Chief Justice of the United States between 1888 and 1910.-Early life and education:...
, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court - Elbert H. Gary, judge, chairman of U.S. Steel
- Bruce A. GoffBruce GoffBruce Alonzo Goff was an American architect distinguished by his organic, eclectic, and often flamboyant designs for houses and other buildings in Oklahoma and elsewhere.-Early years:...
, architect - Carter Harrison, Sr.Carter Harrison, Sr.Carter Henry Harrison, Sr. was an American politician who served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois from 1879 until 1887; he was subsequently elected to a fifth term in 1893 but was assassinated before completing his term. He previously served two terms in the United States House of Representatives...
, mayor of Chicago - Carter Harrison, Jr.Carter Harrison, Jr.Carter Henry Harrison, Jr. served as Mayor of Chicago . The City's 30th mayor, he was the first actually born in Chicago....
, mayor of Chicago - William HolabirdWilliam HolabirdWilliam Holabird was an American architect.Holabird studied at the United States Military Academy at West Point but resigned and moved to Chicago, where he later got married. He worked for William Le Baron Jenney...
, architect - Henry HonoreHenry HonoreHenry Hamilton Honoré was an American businessman.Honoré moved to Chicago, Illinois, from Louisville, Kentucky in 1855 and made his fortune in real estate. Henry Honoré fathered six children with his wife, Eliza J...
, businessman - William HulbertWilliam HulbertWilliam Ambrose Hulbert was one of the founders of the National League, recognized as baseball's first major league, and was also the president of the Chicago White Stockings franchise....
, president of baseball's National League - William Le Baron JenneyWilliam Le Baron JenneyWilliam Le Baron Jenney was an American architect and engineer who became known as the Father of the American skyscraper.- Life and career :...
, Architect, Father of the American skyscraper - Jack JohnsonJack Johnson (boxer)John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...
, first African-American heavyweight boxing champion - Fazlur KhanFazlur KhanFazlur Rahman Khan was a Bangladeshi born architect and structural engineer. He is a central figure behind the "Second Chicago School" of architecture, and is regarded as the "Father of tubular design for high-rises"...
, structural engineer
- William KimballKimball InternationalKimball International is a manufacturer of furniture and electronic assemblies, serving customers around the world. Kimball International consists of two groups: the Furniture Segment and the Contract Electronics Segment. It is the successor to W.W...
, Kimball Piano and Organ Company - John KinzieJohn KinzieJohn Kinzie was one of Chicago's first permanent European settlers. Kinzie Street in Chicago is named after him.-Early life:...
, Canadian pioneer, first white settler in the city of Chicago - Cornelius KrieghoffCornelius KrieghoffCornelius David Krieghoff is probably the most popular Canadian painter of the 19th century. Krieghoff is most famous for his paintings of Canadian landscapes and Canadian life outdoors, which were sought-after in his own time as they are today. He is particularly famous for his winter scenes,...
, well known Canadian artist - Victor F. Lawson, editor and publisher of the Chicago Daily News
- Frank Lowden, Governor of Illinois
- Marion Mahony GriffinMarion Mahony GriffinMarion Griffin was an American architect and artist. She was one of the first licenced female architects in the world, and is considered an original member of the Prairie School.-Biography:...
, architect - Cyrus McCormickCyrus McCormickCyrus Hall McCormick, Sr. was an American inventor and founder of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which became part of International Harvester Company in 1902.He and many members of the McCormick family became prominent Chicagoans....
, businessman, inventor - Edith Rockefeller McCormickEdith Rockefeller McCormickEdith Rockefeller McCormick was an American socialite and opera patron.-Biography:McCormick was the fourth daughter of Standard Oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller and his wife Laura Spelman Rockefeller . Her famous younger brother was John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
, Daughter-in-law of reaper inventor Cyrus McCormick - Maryland Mathison Hooper McCormick, econd wife of Col. Robert R. McCormick
- Nancy “Nettie” Fowler McCormickNancy “Nettie” Fowler McCormickNancy Fowler McCormick , was an American philanthropist, after inheriting part of what is now International Harvester corporation.-Life:...
, businesswoman, philanthropist - Joseph MedillJoseph MedillJoseph Medill was an American newspaper editor and publisher, and politician. He was co-owner and managing editor of the Chicago Tribune, and was Mayor of Chicago.-Biography:...
, publisher, mayor of Chicago - Ludwig Mies van der RoheLudwig Mies van der RoheLudwig Mies van der Rohe was a German architect. He is commonly referred to and addressed as Mies, his surname....
, architect - Laszlo Moholy-NagyLászló Moholy-NagyLászló Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.-Early life:...
, influential photographer, teacher, and founder of the New Bauhaus and Institute of Design IIT in Chicago - Walter NetschWalter NetschWalter Netsch was an American architect based in Chicago. He was most closely associated with the brutalist style of architecture, as well as the firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. His signature aesthetic is known as Field Theory and is based on rotating squares into complex shapes...
, architect - Richard NickelRichard NickelRichard Stanley Nickel was an American photographer and historian of Polish descent best known for his efforts to preserve and document the buildings of architect Louis Sullivan.-Early life:...
, photographer, architectural historian and preservationist - Ruth PageRuth PageRuth Page was an American ballerina and choreographer, considered a pioneer in creating works on American themes. To the classical ballet vocabulary she added movements from sports, popular dance and everyday gestures....
, dancer and choreographer - Bertha PalmerBertha PalmerBertha Palmer was an American businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist.- Biography :Born Bertha Matilde Honoré in Louisville, Kentucky, her father was businessman Henry Hamilton Honoré...
, philanthropist - Francis W. PalmerFrancis W. PalmerFrancis Wayland Palmer was a nineteenth-century politician, publisher, printer, editor and proprietor from New York, Iowa and Illinois.-Biography:...
, newspaper printer, U.S. Representative, Public Printer of the United StatesPublic Printer of the United StatesThe title of Public Printer of the United States refers to the official head of the Government Printing Office . Pursuant to , this officer must be nominated by the President of the United States and approved by the United States Senate... - Potter PalmerPotter PalmerPotter Palmer was an American businessman who was responsible for much of the development of State Street in Chicago.-Retailing career:...
, businessman - Allan PinkertonAllan PinkertonAllan Pinkerton was a Scottish American detective and spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.-Early life, career and immigration:...
, detective - George PullmanGeorge PullmanGeorge Mortimer Pullman was an American inventor and industrialist. He is known as the inventor of the Pullman sleeping car, and for violently suppressing striking workers in the company town he created, Pullman .-Background:Born in Brocton, New York, his family moved to Albion,...
, inventor and railway industrialist - John Wellborn RootJohn Wellborn RootJohn Wellborn Root was an American architect who worked out of Chicago with Daniel Burnham. He was one of the founders of the Chicago School style...
, architect - Howard Van Doren ShawHoward Van Doren ShawHoward Van Doren Shaw was an American architect. He became one of the best-known architects of his generation in the Chicago area.-Early life and career:...
, architect - Louis SullivanLouis SullivanLouis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
, architect - Frederick Wacker, politician
- Kate WarneKate WarneKate Warne was the first female detective in the United States.-Early career:Described by Allan Pinkerton as a slender, brown haired woman, there is not much else known about Kate Warne prior to when she walked into the Pinkerton Detective Agency in 1856. Born in New York, Warne became a widow...
, first female detective, Allan PinkertonAllan PinkertonAllan Pinkerton was a Scottish American detective and spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.-Early life, career and immigration:...
employee - Daniel Hale WilliamsDaniel Hale WilliamsDaniel Hale Williams was an American surgeon. He was the first African-American cardiologist,and performed one of the first successful open-heart surgeries in the United States. He also founded Provident Hospital, the first non-segregated hospital in the United States.-Career:Williams was among...
, African-American surgeon who performed one of the first successful operations on the pericardium
Other cemeteries in the city of Chicago
Graceland is one of three notable 19th century cemeteries which were previously well outside the city limits; the other two being RosehillRosehill Cemetery, Chicago
Rosehill Cemetery is a Victorian era cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, USA, and at , is the largest cemetery in the City of Chicago. The name "Rosehill" resulted from a City Clerk's error – the area was previously called "Roe's Hill", named for nearby farmer Hiram Roe...
(further north), and Oak Woods (South of Hyde Park) which includes a major monument to Confederate civil war dead.
In addition to the larger ones noted above, directly south of Graceland is the German Protestant Wunder's Cemetery & Jewish Graceland Cemetery (divided by a fence), established in 1851. Also, Saint Boniface Cemetery is four blocks north of Graceland at the corner of Clark & Lawrence.
See also
- United States National CemeteriesUnited States National Cemetery"United States National Cemetery" is a designation for 146 nationally important cemeteries in the United States. A National Cemetery is generally a military cemetery containing the graves of U.S. military personnel, veterans and their spouses but not exclusively so...
- List of mausoleums
Further reading
- Hucke, Matt and Bielski, Ursula (1999) Graveyards of Chicago: the people, history, art, and lore of Cook County Cemeteries, Lake Claremont Press, Chicago
- Kiefer, Charles D., Achilles, Rolf, and Vogel, Neil A. "Graceland Cemetery" (pdf), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, HAARGIS Database, Illinois Historic Preservation AgencyIllinois Historic Preservation AgencyThe Illinois Historic Preservation Agency is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Illinois. It is tasked with the duty of maintaining most State-owned historic sites within Illinois, and maximizing their educational and recreational value to visitors....
, June 18, 2000, accessed October 8, 2011. - Lanctot, Barbara (1988) A Walk Through Graceland Cemetery, Chicago Architectural Foundation, Chicago, Illinois