Bohemian National Cemetery

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Bohemian National Cemetery
National Register of Historic Places
Historic District
Entrance to the Bohemian National Cemetery

Entrance to the Bohemian National Cemetery

Bohemian National Cemetery (Illinois)
Paris plan pointer b jms.svg
location Chicago , Illinois
Coordinates 41 ° 58 '39.9 "  N , 87 ° 43' 41.2"  W Coordinates: 41 ° 58 '39.9 "  N , 87 ° 43' 41.2"  W.
surface around 50  hectares
Built 1877
NRHP number 06000374
The NRHP added May 11, 2006

The Bohemian National Cemetery is a cemetery located at 5255 North Pulaski Road in northern Chicago , Illinois .

history

The cemetery was founded in 1877 by Bohemians who emigrated to Chicago . Their community was upset when a Catholic woman named Marie Šilhánek was refused to be buried in several cemeteries in the city because she allegedly had not made a final confession . In response, the compatriots bought land in what was then Jefferson Township to set up a cemetery that was under their control. The property was originally 50  acres (approximately 20  hectares ) and has been expanded to 126 acres (approximately 50 hectares) over the years.

Many of the victims of the 1915 Eastland shipwreck were buried in the cemetery. Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak , who was killed in an assassination attempt in 1933 , was also buried here. Other public figures who have found their final resting place here include Otto Kerner, Sr. , a judge and Illinois Attorney General , and Charles J. Vopicka , an ambassador of the United States in several Eastern European countries.

The cemetery was listed as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 2006 .

description

The Bohemian National Cemetery is best known for its limestone gatehouse and ornate wall niches in the columbarium that contain photographs, sculptures, flags, and other objects that serve to remember those people whose ashes are kept here. Veterans of the US armed forces of Czech descent are honored with war memorials , including memorial stones for the Civil War , the Spanish-American War, and the two World Wars dedicated to 1889, 1926, and 1952. The cemetery is also home to two sculptures by Albin Polasek , who headed the sculpture department at the Art Institute of Chicago . These sculptures are named Mother and Pilgrim .

There has been a columbarium in the cemetery since 2009, specifically aimed at supporters of the Chicago Cubs . The structure is a replica of Wrigley Field's red brick wall , a stained glass panel represents the stadium's scoreboard, and there is a 400- foot yellow marker. In the wall there are 288 niches for urns and seats from the stadium were placed at their foot. The project was initiated by a supporter of the Cubs with the intention that visits to the cemetery should be less depressing. The cemetery administration approved the construction of this columbarium, but did not allow the plan to broadcast the Cubs' home games over a loudspeaker. The Chicago Cubs themselves have nothing directly to do with the project. It was licensed through a company that makes baseball-themed funeral articles.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Brenda Warner Rotzoll: Offbeat Chicago - Outrage led to Bohemian cemetery (English) , Chicago Sun-Times . December 8, 1996, p. 30. 
  2. ↑ Mark Bohemian cemetery's 75 years Sunday (English) , Chicago Tribune , p. W A6. 
  3. ↑ Judge Kerner rites attended by legal heads (English) , Chicago Tribune, p B4. 
  4. ↑ Throngs attend burial rites for Chas. J. Vopicka (English) , Chicago Tribune. September 8, 1935, p. 22. 
  5. ^ Bohemian National Cemetery in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed August 10, 2017.
  6. ↑ Angela Caputo: Landmark status sought for Bohemian cemetery (English) , Chicago Sun-Times. March 15, 2006, p. 24. 
  7. ^ A b Matte Hucke, Ursula Bielski: Graveyards of Chicago ( English ). Lake Claremeont Press, 1999, pp. 60-62.
  8. ↑ Emily S. Achenbaum: Mother's Day tribute puts a favorite statue in spotlight (English) , Chicago Tribune. May 12, 2008. 
  9. ↑ Wayne Drehs: For some fans, Cubs are an undying love ( English ) ESPN Chicago. April 23, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2010.

Web links

Commons : Bohemian National Cemetery  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files