German Waldheim Cemetery

German Waldheim Cemetery, Chicago, in May 1986 during ceremonies commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Haymarket Affair
Emma Goldman's grave in German Waldheim Cemetery. Jo Davidson was the sculptor of the bas relief

German Waldheim Cemetery, previously known as Waldheim Cemetery, and currently Forest Home Cemetery is located at 863 Des Plaines Ave. in Forest Park, a suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois.[1] It was originally founded in 1873 as a non-religion-specific cemetery, where Freemasons, Romani, and German-speaking immigrants to Chicago could be buried without regard for religious affiliation. In 1969, it merged with the adjacent Forest Home Cemetery, also founded in 1873, with the combined cemetery being called Forest Home (Waldheim means forest home in German).

Because it was unassociated with any religious institution, it was chosen as burial place of the Haymarket martyrs. After they were buried there, the cemetery became a place of pilgrimage for anarchists, leftists, and union members. Due to the importance of the event in history, and the monuments' role as an international pilgrimage site, the Haymarket memorial was the first cemetery memorial to be designated a National Historic Landmark.. The Haymarket Martyrs' Monument was designed by sculptor Albert Weinert.

In homage to the Haymarket Martyrs, many other anarchists and socialists are buried at Waldheim, including:

The cemetery also includes the graves of:

The cemetery is also the final resting place for several victims of the 1903 Iroquois Theater fire that killed over 600.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Graveyards of Chicago
  2. ↑ Sawyers, June Skinner. Chicago Portraits: New Edition. Northwestern University Press. p. 53-54. ISBN 0810126494. Retrieved April 2, 2015.

External links

Coordinates: 41°52′11″N 87°49′11″W / 41.8698°N 87.8198°W / 41.8698; -87.8198

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