Chicago's Cemetery Lady, Helen Sclair

And, out last stop on this tour of the Bohemian National Cemetery is the final resting place of Helen Sclair, whose efforts in the field of local cemetery-study are tremendous. That's right.  She is now dead and has joined those whose memory she devoted much of her life to saving.  Every tombstone has a story and it was her desire to find out as many as possible.

We need more people like her.  She died in 2009.

Her last address is the same where she is now.  While she was still alive, she lived her last eight years in a house on the cemetery grounds.

She is credited with uncovering a treasure trove of historic documents in the state archives at Northeastern Illinois University about Chicago's first cemetery, which was on the site that today is Lincoln Park.  Mrs. Sclair was of the opinion that not every body was dug up when the cemetery became a park.

So, the next time you're at the zoo or enjoying Lincoln Park, just think....

Bohemian National Cemetery-- Part 11: The Pilgrim Statue

The statue depicting an older woman shrouded in long robes, was designed by Czech-born sculptor Albin Polasek.  It is one of his two works displayed at the Bohemian cemetery --the other, Mother, is located just outside the crematorium.

Polasek moved from New York to Chicago in 1916, to become the head of the department of modeling and sculpture at the Chicago Art Institute.  The life-size sculpture was commissioned as a memorial to Frantiska Stejskal, the mother of the Stejskal-Buchel families, and shows a woman walking toward the family's mausoleum.

Other examples of his work in the Chicago-area include  the 7-foot-tall The Sower at the Chicago Botanic Garden (sporting a face mask these days but otherwise in the buff) and Spirit of Music in Grant Park.  These statues have not yet been taken down by certain people.

Chicago's Bohemian National Cemetery-- Part 9: SS Eastland Disaster

On July 24, 1915, the SS Eastland -- loaded with Western Electric employees and their families -- prepared to depart from its dock on the Chicago River in downtown Chicago and head across Lake Michigan for a company picnic in Michigan City, Indiana.

The boat suddenly listed to its side and capsized, trapping hundreds in the vessel as water poured in.  Out of the 844 people drowned, Bohemian Cemetery has 143 Eastland victims buried in its plots, the most of any cemetery in the Chicago area.

Of  the 22 families wiped out by the disaster, four are buried in the cemetery.  Some, including those of Czech ancestry, include a short line -- "obet Eastlandu" or "victim of the Eastland."

Almost 100 years later, a memorial was dedicated to the victims of that ship at the Bohemian cemetery.  A black plaque described the disaster on one side and details of the Eastland gravesites on the other.  A granite slab with a ship's wheel juts out of the slab with carved ripples that represent the sinking of the ship and its raising following the incident.

Sadly, Today, the Tragedy Is Hardly Remembered.  

Chicago's Bohemian National Cemetery-- Part 8: The Cermak Family Mausoleum (That Would Be Mayor Anton Cermak)

Tens of thousands of people waited in line for hours -- in the bitter cold-- to pay their respects to Chicago's 36th mayor, Anton Cermak, and an estimated 50,000 assembled in the Bohemian cemetery for the conclusion of his funeral procession in March 1933.

The Czech immigrant, who once sold firewood from a wagon, worked his way up to become chief of Chicago's Democratic machine and was considered a unifier of the city's working ethnic groups.  He was hit by bullets intended for President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt during a ride with him in a convertible car in Miami, on Feb. 15, 1933, and died 19 days later.

Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor, visited the site on Oct. 2, 1933.

The inscription upon his final resting place says:  "I'm glad it was me instead of you," which Cermak allegedly told FDR after he was shot.  The Tribune reported the quote without attribution.  Scholars doubt Cermak ever said these words.

Also in the Cermak mausoleum is one of the former mayor's daughters, Helena, who had been married to former Illinois Governor Otto Kerner Jr.

Chicago's Bohemian National Cemetery-- Part 7: Wanda Stopa Burial Site

Chicago's youngest and first assistant U.S. District Attorney was a brilliant Polish immigrant named Wanda Stopa.  She had been one of two women to graduate from John Marshall Law School in 1921.  But just three years after graduation, Stopa left her career, married a Russian count then fell in love with a rich, married advertising executive, Y. Kensley Smith, who paid for her to live in New York.

When Smith refused to leave his wife Geneivieve, nicknamed Doodles, Stopa showed up at their Palos Park home on April 24, 1924, intending to kill Smith's wife.  She took a shot, but it hit the couple's elderly caretaker, Henry Manning, killing him.

Stopa went on the run, killing herself by swallowing poison in a Detroit hotel room.

Approximately 10,000 Chicagoans turned out for her wake and funeral.

Chicago's National Bohemian Cemetery-- Part 6: Civil War and Spanish-American War Memorials

CIVIL WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL

I'll write more about this in my Saw the Elephant: Civil War blog.

Dedicated in 1892.  Said to be the first Bohemian soldiers monument in America.

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SPANISH AMERICAN WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL

If this statue looks familiar, then you've probably seen it in another cemetery or outside a government building in another state. The 8 1/2-foot-tall figure atop a granite boulder "represents the veteran as he appeared in the ranks" during the 1898 war, according to the Chicago Tribune story on the statues unveiling in September 1926.

A cross-shaped plaque listing the names of 147 Spanish-American War veterans was added in 1964.

Chicago's National Bohemian Cemetery-- Part 5: N. Brada Is First Burial in 1877

 MARKER MEMORIALIZING FIRST BURIAL

Dates differ as to when the infant known as N. Brada was buried here.  The marker says the internment occurred July 1, 1877, but the cemetery's official listings recorded it August 6, 1877.

One possible reason for this, a Friends of the Bohemian National Cemetery newsletter points out, is it wasn't until after the baby girl was buried that the cemetery applied for the permit.  Technically, the cemetery did not exist until July 1, 1877.

Originally near the entrance gates, the child's final resting place was moved to another, more private location within the cemetery.  This marker is only a cenotaph, or commemorative plaque.

National Bohemian Cemetery-- Part 4: About the Cubs Fans

 Burials are not allowed at Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs, but at the cemetery, located just five miles northwest of the field, a local man came up with another option.

More than 200 niches for cremation urns are tucked into a 24-foot long, ivy-covered red brick wall with a yellow "400" painted on it -- mimicking the one in center field at Wrigley Field. Old box seats, home plate, original sod and a stained-glass window featuring the iconic centerfield scoreboard permanently set at 1:20 are also included.

I wonder if the ivy is Wrigley Field ivy.  Back in the 1970s, I bought an ivy cutting at Wrigley Field and planted it by my garage in Round Lake Beach and before long, it had taken over that whole side of the garage.  I named it the Dave Kingman Memorial Ivy as he was our big home run hitter back in those days.

After the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, just about every cemetery in the Chicago area sprouted small Cubs and Cubs World Series Champ flags.  Even a spot along a local road where a Cub fan had died during the playoffs had a Cubs World Champion flag on it.

It appears that there are still niches available, so for that Cub fan of yours....

Wrigley Field Forever.

Chicago's Bohemian National Cemetery-- Part 3: The Cubs Treestone Marker

 One couple have shown their own design to show their never-ending support for the Cubs in a style  found throughout the cemetery's grounds.  The tree-stump gravestone, or treestone, is made from limestone, which is easy to carve and can feature a variety of symbols.

In this example, which is the first one installed at the cemetery in  more than 70 years, there are branches from two trees barely touching, forming the shape of a heart.  According to its sculptor, Walter S. Arnold, this treestone features a transistor radio -- which is tuned to WGN AM 720 -- because the husband, who was blind, loved to listen to the play-by-play while attending Cubs games.

There's a crack through the name of his wife, who survives him, symbolizing her broken heart.  At the bottom are symbols of then things they enjoyed together.

Chicago's Bohemian National Cemetery-- Part 2: A Break from the Catholic Church

In response to the Catholic Church, the Bohemians decided to build their own cemetery on 40 acres in Jefferson Township, which was then  a few miles north of Chicago.  On January 17, 1877, an assembly of Bohemian leaders decided it was time for their own cemetery, the Bohemian National Cemetery.

Freethinking leaders involved in the cemetery's creation are honored Ladimir Klacel Circle, named after the Bohemian philosopher.  He's not buried there, but there is a bust of him which was the first public statue placed in the cemetery.

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AROUND THE CEMETERY

**  COLUMBARIUM AND CREMATORIUM

This two story limestone building looks like a basilica with its domed ceiling and bell tower provides spaces for storage of cremation urns and cremation of remains.  The main level's ceremony hall has a more-than-23-foot-tall ceiling, intricate ornamental decoration and stained-glass windows and has hosted funerals, speaking engagements, concerts and meetings since its completion in 1913.

More than 700 spaces or niches for the ashes of the deceased are also housed here.

And, There Is A Lot More.

Chicago's Bohemian National Cemetery-- Part 1: Meet the 'Cemetery Lady'

 From the October 11, 2020, Chicago Tribune "Inside Bohemian National Cemetery with 'Cemetery Lady' Helen Sclair" by Kori Rumore.

Bohemian National Cemetery, at Pulaski Road and Foster Avenue on the Northwest Side, is a burial ground that welcomes all on its 124-acre site with beautiful scenery and memorials to people and events important in Chicago history.

Helen Sclair knows a whole lot about this cemetery as well as the more than 700 burial sites in the Chicagoland area.  She is a tour guide to these cemeteries and says she never "seen a cemetery she didn't like."

The Bohemian National Cemetery, where more than 120,000 people are buried, is the result of tensions between the Roman Catholic Church and local immigrants who came to Chicago from Bohemia and Moravia, now known as the Czech Republic.  These immigrants, called Bohemians, were expected by the Catholic Church to make confession before death.  If not, they were banned from burial within Chicago's Catholic cemeteries.

--Cooter

Uncle Ben and Mrs. Butterworth Also Changing Brands

 From the same paper as last post.

Uncle Ben's brand of rice and side dishes is also rebranding itself and Mrs. Butterworth's, one of Aunt Jemima's breakfast competitors is expected to take steps as well in these days of BLM.

Shortly after the Aunt Jemima announcement, Mars, which owns Uncle Ben's said they were going to "evolve" the brand.

The image of Uncle Ben, an elderly white-haired black man has been on boxes of rice for more than 70 years.  In 2007, Mars had said there would be no significant changes because  there was "a timeless element to him."

Also on Wednesday, Chicago-based Conagra Brands, which acquired Mrs. Butterworth when it bought Pinnacle Foods in 2018. said it had begun a brand and packaging review of the product line.  Mrs. Butterworth's iconic brown bottles have been on shore shelves since the 1960s.

--Cooter

Quaker Oats Rebranding Aunt Jemima Because of Racial Stereotype

 From the June 18, 2020, Chicago Tribune "Quaker Oats to rebrand Aunt Jemima" by Mary Ellen Podmolik.

The Aunt Jemima brand, which has been on syrup and other Quaker Oats products form over 130 years, is being retired.

Chicago-based Quaker Oats, now a unit of PepsiCo, announced Wednesday June 17, that the company would first be removing the image from packaging and later would change the name.  Of course, this is because of the current wave of BLM  after the death of George Floyd and black awareness sweeping the country.  I just have to wonder why it took Blacks so long to figure out they were offended by these images.

Aunt Jemima's image has been changed over the years, already moving it from the controversial first "slave figure."  A 1968 makeover  replaced a kerchief on her head with a headband.  In 1989, she got a gray-streaked hairstyle without a headband, plus pearl earrings and a white lace collar.  At that time, a tribune executive said it would no longer be changed because "that kind of familiarity and recognition is an invaluable asset."

--Cooter

'Jesse James' Rides Horse on Lincoln Highway in DeKalb in 1920

 From the August 19, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1920, 100 Years Ago.

"Last night about six o'clock the people of the business section were  very much surprised to see  a girl come riding on horseback down the Lincoln Highway dressed like Jesse James in his prime.  The girl looked to be about 12 or 13 years old and when asked where she was from, replied Vermont and that she was on her way to California.

"The biggest surprise to the crowd who gathered was the fact that she was 22 instead of just being just a 'kid.'  She stopped  for about 15 minutes then was on her way west."

I couldn't find any information on her but that sure would have been an interesting story.

--CooterJames

If It's Not Tonsils, It's Polio in DeKalb County in 1920 and 1945

 From the August 12, 2020,  MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1920, 100 Years Ago.

"Tonsil cases at the hospital occupied a great deal of the time of the attendants this morning because of the fact that there were four who had their tonsils removed instead of the usual one or two.

"The children having the occupation performed were Waite Embree, Evelyn Hiland, Marian Miller and Lilea Miller.  All of the children are doing nicely  and will be able to go to their homes this evening."

I had my tonsils removed  when I was child.  That was so mean, they promised me ice cream but my throat was too sore to eat any of it.  I screamed for ice cream.

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"The DeKalb Lodge Loyal Order of the Moose has purchases a portable  iron lung from the Portable Life Saving Company of St. Louis, Mo.  The new equipment is now at the fire station, where every member of the department will be taught how to use it."

The portable iron lung was used to treat cases of polio.

That Promising Ice Cream That You Couldn't Eat Was Not Nice.  --DaCoot

A Marauding Herd of Cattle and Polio in DeKalb County

August 5, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1920, 100 Years Ago.

"The owner of a herd of cattle that was taken to the police station on a charge of having trampled the garden of O.S. Greenwood is Albert Ashelford and he was brought into the local police station yesterday and  assessed a fine for allowing his cattle to run loose."

From Find-A-Grave.  Albert Ashelford was born 16 June 1867 in DeKalb Co., Illinois, died 22 December 1922 (age 84) in DeKalb County and is buried in Fairview Cemetery in DeKalb, Illinois.

1945, 75 Years Ago.

"Those polio cases in Rockford are causing Sycamore people to use every precaution with their youngsters.  Sycamore had its share of polio two years ago and doesn't want it again."

Disease problems even back then in this age of the coronavirus.

--Cooter

USS Oregon (BB-3)-- Part 5: Served in World War II

In 1941, as war with Japan looked likely, the Oregon was redesignated  IX-22 in February and after Pearl Harbor, it was decided that the best thing for the ship would be to be broken up for scrap.  She was struck from the Naval Registry on 2 November 1942 and was sold to ship  breakers on 7 December.  

In March 1943, she was towed to Kalama, Washington to be broken up, but after the work was begun, the Navy  decided that the Oregon could be of use in the planned invasion of  Guam scheduled for mid-1944, either as a storage hulk or a breakwater.

The breakers were ordered to stop after clearing the superstructure and internal equipment was removed.  The Oregon was then loaded with ammunition and towed to Guam as part of the invasion fleet.

After capture of that island, the Oregon remained through the end of the war in 1945 and for several more years after that.  On the night of 14-15 November 1948, the ship broke free of her moorings during a typhoon and drifted away.  After an extensive search, aircraft located the ship some 580 miles southeast of Guam.

It was then towed back to Guam and remained there until 1956 and she was sold for scrap and broken up in Japan.

Several parts of the ship remain in Portland.  Her foremast was placed at Tom McCall Waterfront Park and her ship's wheel is at the Oregon Historical Society.  Both of her funnels also remain but are not on public display.

--Cooter

USS Oregon (BB-3)-- Part 4: Service in the Pacific, the Boxer Rebellion, WW I, Pres. Wilson and the Washington Naval Treaty

 After the war, the Oregon had an overhaul and was assigned to the U.S. Asiatic Squadron and participated in the Philippine-American War (Philippines Insurrection).  It also sailed to Japan and reinforced the Eight-Nation Allied Force in China's Boxer Rebellion.  

In 1901, she returned to the U.S. for a refit before returning to her Asiatic Station before being decommissioned in 1906.  During the next several years, the Oregon was modernized and then recommissioned in 1911 and patrolled off the west coast of the United States.

During World War I, the ship saw no action but did  escort troop ships carrying soldiers bound for the Russian Civil War. Afterwards, she was decommissioned for a short time in 1919 before recommissioned for a short time the same year and hosted President Woodrow Wilson during a review of the Pacific Fleet in Seattle, Washington.

In 1920, she was assigned the hull number BB-3 and beginning a year later, a group of naval enthusiasts started a campaign to turn her into a naval museum to be based somewhere in her namesake state.  The Washington Naval Treaty in 1922 required the Oregon to be demilitarized which she was.

By 1924 she had become listed on the Naval register as an "Unclassified Relic."

In 1925, the Navy loaned the Oregon to that state and she was moored in Portland and restored as a museum vessel.

But, That Was Not Her End.  --Cooter

USS Oregon (BB-3)-- Part 3: The Battle of Santiago de Cuba

 The USS Oregon arrived off the port of Santiago de Cuba on June 1st and joined the blockading fleet.

At 8:45 am on July 1, Admiral Cervera sortied with his fleet on his flagship, the Infanta Maria Teresa.  Luckily for the Spanish, the Oregon was out of its usual position and another battleship, the USS Massachusetts was recoaling at Guantanamo Bay at the time.

Lookouts aboard the armored cruiser USS Brooklyn discovered the approach of the Spanish fleet and fired a gun as a warning and the battle was underway.  The goal of the Spaniards was to escape and put out to sea.  Cervera went after the Brooklyn

The Oregon took the lead in the ensuing chase as it was the only ship with its steam up.  It was followed by the Brooklyn.  American gunfire son set the Infanta Maria Teresa afire and fearing an explosion, Cervera ordered the ship run aground.  The Almirante Oquendo did likewise a short time later.  The Vizcaya was also forced aground and surrendered.  The two destroyers were particularly savaged by American gunfire.

Only the Cristobol Colon had a good six-mile lead and was still running west.  The American ships slowly caught up with her and struck its flag, running ashore and scuttling the ship.  Thus ended the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.

The Oregon was not hit in the action owing to the poor quality of the Spanish gunfire.

With the American success here and in Cuba and the Philippines, Spain sued for peace on 17 July and the Spanish-American War ended 12 August 1898 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.

It Wasn't Much of a Battle, Actually.   --Cooter

USS Oregon (BB-3)-- Part 2: Completed a 16,000 Cruise from Pacific to Atlantic in 66 Days (Pre-Panama Canal)

Two of the Indiana-class battleships were built on the U.S. East Coast and the Oregon on the West Coast.  The Oregon was commissioned on 15 July 1896 and joined the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

On 15 February 1898, the USS Maine blew up in Havana Harbor, Cuba, during rising tensions between Spain and the U.S..  The Oregon was in dry dock at the time and was refloated the next day and placed under the command of Captain Charles Edgar Clark and ordered to steam the U.S. East Coast to join the North Atlantic Fleet and arrived after a 16,000 mile journey in just 66 days.  

While passing through the Cape Horn the ship encountered a horrific storm  (these three battleships had very low freeboards and did not do well in rough seas).  This was before the Panama Canal was built and became a major reason for its construction.

The Oregon arrived in Key West on 26 May and joined the North Atlantic Squadron under the command of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson.  The Spanish fleet had been located and blockaded in the harbor of Santo de Cuba, Cuba.  The Spanish squadron was under the command of Rear Admiral Pasqual Cervera y Topete and consisted of  the armored cruisers Infanta Maria Teresa, Cristobol Colon, Vizcaya and Almirante Oquendo and destroyers Pluton and Furor.

--Cooter

NIU's Official Entryway Garners an Award in 1995

 From the September 9, 2020, MidWeek   "Looking Back."

1995, 25 Years Ago.

"As Northern Illinois University prepares to kick off its centennial  celebration next month, one of the October 1 events will be the presentation of the Restoration Recognition Award.

The City of DeKalb's Landmark Commission is honoring NIU for recreating the past through the entry gate on Castle Drive.  The design is based on the original gateway to the State Normal School."

And, that is one really pretty entry way to one of the most beautiful spots on campus.

--Cooter