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Haymarket Martyrs' Monument

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Haymarket Martyrs' Monument
Haymarket Martyrs' Monument in
Forest Home Cemetery
Haymarket Martyrs' Monument is located in Greater Chicago
Haymarket Martyrs' Monument
LocationThe Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, Illinois.
BuiltDedicated June 25, 1893
SculptorAlbert Weinert[2]
NRHP reference No.97000343[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 26, 2002[1]
Designated NHLFebruary 18, 1997

The Haymarket Martyrs' Monument is a funeral monument located at Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Dedicated in 1893, it commemorates the defendants involved in the labor unrest and bombing related to the Haymarket Affair (1886). On February 18, 1997 it was designated a National Historic Landmark, and on April 26, 2002 listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.

History

Following the Haymarket affair, trial and executions, August Spies, Adolph Fischer, George Engel, Louis Lingg, and Albert Parsons were buried at the German Waldheim Cemetery (later merged with Forest Home Cemetery).

The Pioneer Aid and Support Association organized a subscription for a funeral monument. In 1893, the Haymarket Martyrs' Monument by sculptor Albert Weinert was raised at Waldheim. It consists of a 16-foot-high granite shaft capped by a carved triangular stone. There is a two step base, which also supports a monumental figure of a woman standing over the body of a fallen worker, both in bronze. It was dedicated on June 25, 1893, after a march from Chicago. The inscription on the steps read, "1887," the year of the executions. Also, there is a quote attributed to Spies, recorded just before his execution by hanging: "The day will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you are throttling today." On the back of the monument are listed the names of the men. On the top of the monument, a bronze plaque contains text of the pardon later issued by Illinois governor John Peter Altgeld[1]

The dedication ceremony was attended by 8000, with union flags and the American flag draped on the monument. European unions and American organizations sent flowers to be placed.[1] Many activists and labor leaders were subsequently buried nearby. Michael Schwab and Oscar Neebe were also buried at Waldheim when they died. Samuel Fielden is the only Haymarket defendant who is not buried at Forest Home. For years, annual commemorations were held.

Since the 1970s, the Illinois Labor History Society has held the deed to the monument and been responsible for its maintenance and restoration. It conducts monthly guided tours of Forest Home Cemetery from May through October.

  • Utah Phillips speaking in May 1986, during ceremonies commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Haymarket affair.
    Utah Phillips speaking in May 1986, during ceremonies commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Haymarket affair.
  • Haymarket Martyrs' Memorial detail
    Haymarket Martyrs' Memorial detail
  • Inscription at the base of the Haymarket Martyrs' Memorial.
    Inscription at the base of the Haymarket Martyrs' Memorial.
  • Rear of Haymarket Martyrs' Monument.
    Rear of Haymarket Martyrs' Monument.
  • National Historic Landmark plaque, at site of the Haymarket Martyrs' Monument; added in 1997.
    National Historic Landmark plaque, at site of the Haymarket Martyrs' Monument; added in 1997.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d National Historic Landmark Nomination form, 1997 Haymarket Martyrs' Monument, Robin Bachin, Newberry Library.
  2. ^ "Haymarket Martyrs' Monument, (sculpture)." SIRIS
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Haymarket Martyrs' Monument and graves.
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