Did Somebody Say Cemetery?

Wow!  Am so pleased to see all the cemetery buffs who also happen to be my friends.  I had no idea.  In response…

—If I have a favorite, it’s Mount Carmel.  The stones are great.  Many Italian members means many stones in the Italian tradition—photographs, elaborate carvings, etc.  Example—I’ve seen this one and the detail is fabulous.  Plus, it’s aces for history buffs.  Many of Chicago’s gangsters are buried there.  They might have been all Italian-versus-Irish and Northside-versus-Southside while alive, but in death they’re all Catholics.  There aren’t many cemeteries where you can point and say, “This guy killed that guy.  And that one over there, he killed that one…”  In a charming irony, Mount Carmelis also the final resting place of Chicago’s archbishops.

—I have been curious about Waldheim for a while, mainly because Emma Goldman is buried there.  There is apparently a large section of Communists and Socialists buried near the Haymarket Memorial.  Some people jokingly refer to this section as “the Communist plot.”  Roseland sounds interesting, too.

—Also on my list to investigate: Wunders (across the street from Graceland), and the rundown Jewish Graceland cemetery right next to it. I would also like to get to Woodlawn someday and see the Showmen's Rest section.

—If she’s still teaching it, I highly, highly recommend Helen Sclair’s class on the history of Chicago cemeteries.  The classes are held at the Newberry Library, and Mrs. Sclair is a wealth of information.  She’s also a wonderful storyteller.

Once the weather gets nice, I think a cemetery walk is definitely in order.  Let me know if you’d be interested.

Comments

[Steph]

I'd definitely be interested once it warms up!

[Heather]

Memememe! :)