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Graceland Cemetery

Coordinates: 41°57′16.2″N 87°39′44.2″W / 41.954500°N 87.662278°W / 41.954500; -87.662278
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the former D.C. cemetery, see Graceland Cemetery (Washington, D.C.).

Graceland Cemetery
Graceland Cemetery is located in Chicago metropolitan area
Graceland Cemetery
Location in Chicago
Graceland Cemetery is located in Illinois
Graceland Cemetery
Location in Illinois
Graceland Cemetery is located in the United States
Graceland Cemetery
Location in United States
Location4001 N. Clark Street,[2]
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates41°57′16.2″N 87°39′44.2″W / 41.954500°N 87.662278°W / 41.954500; -87.662278
Area119 acres (48 ha)
Built1860
NRHP reference No.00001628[1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 18, 2001

Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Irving Park Road. Among the cemetery's 121 acres (49 ha) are the burial sites of several well-known Chicagoans.[3]

Graceland includes a naturalistic reflecting lake, surrounded by winding pathways, and its pastoral plantings have led it to become a certified arboretum of more than 2,000 trees. The cemetery's wide variety of burial monuments include a number designed by famous architects, several of whom are also buried in the cemetery.[4]

History

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Establishment

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Thomas Barbour Bryan, a Chicago businessman, established Graceland Cemetery in 1860 with the original 80-acre (32 ha) layout designed by Swain Nelson.[3][5] Bryan created it though a business partnership with William Butler Ogden, Sidney Sawyer, Edwin H. Sheldon, and George Peter Alexander Healy.[6][7] Bryan was the inaugural president of the Graceland Cemetery Association, with Healy serving as treasurer.[7]

Bryan had been motivated to establish a new cemetery after being disappointed by the "neglected and actually repulsive condition" of Chicago's City Cemetery when his son Daniel was buried there. He sought to create a "rural burying ground, more remote from and worthy of the city [of Chicago]." However, he placed these ambitions on hold after Rosehill Cemetery was opened by a group independent of Bryan's efforts. However, after he was offered the presidency of the company that operated Rosehill Cemetery, Bryan became motivated to pursue his shelved plans to establish his own cemetery.[8]

Bryan purchased land for his cemetery from the heirs of Justin Butterfield, collaborated with a number of landscape architects to design the cemetery, and fought challenges from the owners of adjacent properties who opposed his plans to transform the site into a cemetery.[8] In April 1860,[8] the first burial at Graceland Cemetery occurred when Bryan's late son Daniel was reinterred.[9][6] Graceland Cemetery was formally dedicated that August.[8]

19th century operations

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Daniel Page Bryan's disinterment from City Cemetery was an early part of the a greater process of relocating the thousands of remains at the City Cemetery and transforming that site into a public park (today's Lincoln Park). The remains of approximately 2,000 individuals were relocated in this process, which was completed in the 1870s. Graceland and Rosehill were the reburial sites of many of these remains.[8][9] Graceland quickly established itself as a popular choice of burial site for prominent Chicagoans, with many opting to pre-erect burial monuments at the cemetery in for their future burials.[8] In 1870, Horace Cleveland designed curving paths, open vistas, and a small lake to create a park-like setting.[5]

In 1878, Bryan hired his nephew Bryan Lathrop as president. In 1879, the cemetery acquired an additional 35 acres (14 ha), and Ossian Cole Simonds was hired as its landscape architect to design the addition. Lathrop and Simonds wanted to incorporate naturalistic settings to create picturesque views that were the foundation of the Prairie style.[5][10][11] Lathrop was open to new ideas and provided opportunities for experimentation which led to Simonds use of native plants including oak, ash, witch hazel, and dogwood at a time when many viewed native plants as invasive. The Graceland Cemetery Association designated one section of the grounds to be devoid of monuments and instituted a review process led by Simonds for monuments and family plots.[12] Simonds later became the superintendent at Graceland until 1897, and continued on as a consultant until his death in 1931.[5][13]

20th century

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Graceland's attractive parklike appearance and elaborate burial monuments made it a popularly visited site. Visitation became so large, that in the early 20th century its operators grew concerned that it had turned into too popular of a recreation grounds to the detriment of its character as a cemetery. For a period, it instituted a policy in which open admission to the grounds was only permitted on Sundays and holidays, with the remaining dates seeing access limited to ticket holders. Graceland's popularity as a pleasure grounds declined in subsequent decades, however, as public attitude moved away from seeing cemeteries as appropriate sites for leisure. At the same time, the condition of the cemetery began to suffer from neglect.[8]

21st century

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In the early 21st century, attention was turned to repair the cemetery and restore much of its 19th-century landscape.[8] Graceland Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 18, 2001.[14]

In 2020, the cemetery's landscape was damaged in a derecho (severe windstorm) that uprooted 50 mature trees. The cemetery was closed for several weeks thereafter to clean up the damage. Young trees were planted to replace the mature trees that were lost.[8]

Geography

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Graceland Cemetery is an example of a rural cemetery, which is a style of cemetery characterized by landscaped natural areas. The concept of the rural cemetery emerged in the early 19th century as a response to overcrowding and poor maintenance in existing cemeteries in Europe.[15]

In the 19th century, a train to the north suburbs occupied the eastern edge of the cemetery, where the Chicago "L" train now runs. The line was also used to carry mourners to funerals, in specially rented funeral cars. As a result, there was an entry through the east wall, which has since been closed. When founded, the cemetery was well outside the city limits of Chicago. After the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, Lincoln Park, which had been the city's cemetery, was deconsecrated and some of the bodies were reinterred to Graceland Cemetery.[citation needed]

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 was redeveloped as a recreational area. A single mausoleum remains, the "Couch tomb", containing the remains of Ira Couch.[16] The Couch Tomb is probably the oldest extant structure in the city, everything else having been destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire.[17]

The cemetery's walls are topped off with wrought iron spear point fencing.[citation needed]

Notable tombs and monuments

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Many of the cemetery's tombs are of great architectural or artistic interest, including the Getty Tomb, the Martin Ryerson Mausoleum (both designed by architect Louis Sullivan, who is also buried in the cemetery), 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.[citation needed]

William Hulbert, the first president of the National League, has a monument in the shape of a baseball with the names of the original National League cities on it.[18]

Along with its other famous burials, the cemetery is notable for two statues by the renowned Chicago sculptor Lorado Taft, Eternal Silence for the Graves family plot and The Crusader that marks Victor Lawson's final resting place.

The cemetery is also the final resting place of 31 victims of the Iroquois Theatre fire, in which more than 600 people died.

Six-year-old Inez Briggs, the "girl in glass" is rumored to be a haunted cite.

Notable burials

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The mausoleum of Potter Palmer and Bertha Honoré Palmer
Getty Tomb for Carrie Eliza Getty, designed by Louis Sullivan, 1890

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System – (#00001628)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Graceland Cemetery and Arboretum". gracelandcemetery.org. Archived from the original on March 13, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Graceland Cemetery". www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org. Archived from the original on November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  4. ^ Kamin, Blair. "Column: Graceland Cemetery is an unexpected green oasis, with architecture galore. Don't miss these monuments". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d "Graceland Cemetery – IL | The Cultural Landscape Foundation". tclf.org. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Funigiello, Philip J. (1994). Florence Lathrop Page: A Biography. University of Virginia Press. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-0-8139-1489-3. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Johnson, Ray (May 7, 2014). "All Chicago Library Branches closed May 7th for H.H. Holmes Execution Day!". Chicago Now. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Selzer, Adam (2022). Graceland Cemetery: Chicago Stories, Symbols, and Secrets. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-08650-2. JSTOR 10.5406/j.ctv2p7j66k. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Simon, Andreas (1894). Chicago: The Garden City ... Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  10. ^ Funigiello, Philip J. (1994). Florence Lathrop Page: A Biography. University of Virginia Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-0813914893.
  11. ^ Lanctot, Barbara (1988). A Walk Through Graceland Cemetery. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Architectural Foundation. p. 2.
  12. ^ Tishler, William H. (2004). Midwestern Landscape Architecture. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0252072147. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  13. ^ "O.C. Simonds | The Cultural Landscape Foundation". tclf.org. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  14. ^ "NPGallery Asset Detail". npgallery.nps.gov. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  15. ^ Vernon, Christopher (2012). Graceland Cemetery: A Design History. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press. pp. 23–25. ISBN 978-1558499263.
  16. ^ Dabs. "Chicago Cemeteries". Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  17. ^ Bannos, Pamela (2012). "The Couch Tomb — Hidden truths: Visualizing the City Cemetery". The Chicago Cemetery & Lincoln Park. Northwestern University. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  18. ^ Bojanowski, Mike (October 6, 2016). "A Tour Of The Cubs-Related Graves At Graceland Cemetery". Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  19. ^ "David Adler". David Adler Center for Music and Arts. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  20. ^ Thorpe, Burton Lee (1910). Koch, Charles R. E. (ed.). History of Dental Surgery. Vol. III. Fort Wayne, IN: National Art Publishing Company.
  21. ^ a b Rosenow, Michael (2015). Death and Dying in the Working Class, 1865–1920. University of Illinois Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-0252097119. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  22. ^ Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 4. ISBN 978-0806348230. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  23. ^ Fox News. "'Mr. Cub' Ernie Banks laid to rest at Graceland Cemetery". fox32chicago.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  24. ^ "Obituaries – Granville Bates". The Chicago Tribune. XCIX (167): 14. July 12, 1940.
  25. ^ a b c d "Who in the Dickens is that?". Graceland Cemetery and Arboretum. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  26. ^ "Bioguide Search". bioguide.congress.gov. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  27. ^ "Chicago Says Goodbye To Beloved Bear Doug Buffone". CBS Chicago. CBS Broadcasting Inc. April 24, 2015. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The Cemetery of Architects". Graceland Cemetery and Arboretum. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  29. ^ "Mayor Fred A. Busse Biography". Chicago Public Library. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  30. ^ Bannos, Pamela (2012). "Cemetery Lot Owners — Hidden truths: Visualizing the City Cemetery". The Chicago Cemetery & Lincoln Park. Northwestern University. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  31. ^ "Mrs. Lydia A. Coonley Ward, Author, Dies". Democrat and Chronicle. February 27, 1924. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "De Priest, Oscar Stanton – Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  33. ^ "William Deering, born in Maine, 1826, died in Florida 1913". eBook from the library of the University of Illinois. 1914. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  34. ^ "J.J. Esher, Long a Bishop, Dead". Chicago Tribune. April 16, 1901. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  35. ^ a b c "Monuments and their Makers". Graceland Cemetery and Arboretum. Archived from the original on July 3, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  36. ^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 245. ISBN 978-1476625997. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  37. ^ Zangs, Mary (2014). The Chicago 77: A Community Area Handbook. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1625851468. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  38. ^ Rodkin, Dennis (March 2006). "Why Everybody Loves Naperville". Chicago. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
  39. ^ "Mayor Carter Henry Harrison III Biography". Chicago Public Library. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
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  41. ^ AIA Guide to Chicago. University of Illinois Press. 2014. p. 234. ISBN 978-0252096136. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  42. ^ "Obit. Isadore G. Jeffery. February 23, 1919, Chicago". Chicago Tribune. February 24, 1919. p. 19. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  43. ^ Kelder, Robert (January 25, 2005). "Visitors drawn to Jack Johnson's Grave". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  44. ^ White, Theresa Mary (1988). "Coping with Administrative Pressures in the Chicago Schools' Superintendency: An Analysis of William Henry Johnson, 1936–1946". Loyola University Chicago. p. 198. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  45. ^ "Bryan Lathrop Funeral Held at Graceland Chapel". Chicago Daily Tribune. May 16, 1916. p. 17. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ^ Matt Hucke and Ursula Bielski. Graveyards of Chicago. Lake Claremont Press, 1999. 21.
  47. ^ "Lowden, Frank Orren (1861–1943)". Biographical Directory of the United States of Congress. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  48. ^ "Dr. Franklin Martin to be Buried Today". The New York Times. March 12, 1935. p. 21. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  49. ^ "Maryland Mathison Hooper McCormick (1897–1985) Archived December 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine". Cantigny. Retrieved on June 23, 2012.
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  51. ^ Hartz, Taylor (October 31, 2017). "Lots of graves – but no ghosts – on Halloween Graceland Cemetery Tour". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  52. ^ "Palmer, Francis Wayland, (1827–1907)". Biographical Directory of the United States of Congress. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  53. ^ "Allan Pinkerton". National Park Service. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  54. ^ Lanctot, Barbara (1988). A Walk Through Graceland Cemetery. Chicago: Chicago Architectural Foundation. pp. 14–15.
  55. ^ Guyer, Isaac D. (1862). History of Chicago – Its Commercial and Manufacturing Interests and Industry. Chicago: Church, Goodman & Cushing, Book and Job Printers. pp. 96–97.
  56. ^ "$1,000,000 Is Left for Old Folks' Home". Chicago Daily Tribune. March 8, 1923. p. 17. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  57. ^ Lanctot. Barbara, ‘’A Walk Through Graceland Cemetery: A Chicago Architecture Foundation Walking Tour, A Chicago Architecture Foundation Walking Tour, Chicago, IL, 1992 p. 30
  58. ^ "Public Figures and Private Eyes". Graceland Cemetery and Arboretum. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  59. ^ "Graceland Cemetery Last Resting Place for Notable Chicagoans". Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, IL. August 4, 1982. p. P1. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  60. ^ "Funeral Services Are Held for Frank Wenter". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. October 12, 1929. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
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Further reading

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  • Hucke, Matt; Bielski, Ursula (1999). Graveyards of Chicago: the people, history, art, and lore of Cook County Cemeteries. Lake Claremont Press: Chicago. ISBN 0964242648.
  • Kiefer, Charles D.; Achilles, Rolf; Vogel, Neil A. (June 18, 2000). "Graceland Cemetery" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, HAARGIS Database. Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 20, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  • Lanctot, Barbara (1992). A Walk Through Graceland Cemetery: A Chicago Architecture Foundation Walking Tour. Chicago, IL: Chicago Architecture Foundation. p. 6. ISBN 9780962056208.
  • Vernon, Christopher (2012). Graceland Cemetery: A Design History. Amherst, MA: Library of American Landscape History and University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 978-1-55849-926-3. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
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