June 2024 – Page 2 – Chicago and Cook County Cemeteries

Terror 50 Feet above Wilson Avenue

My dad worked as a licensed electrical engineer for the J. Livingston company, a prestigious electrical contractor. His office was on the eighth floor of the 333 N. Michigan building and his drafting board had a stunning view of the Michigan Avenue bridge, the Wrigley building, and the then Tribune Tower.

Dad was a creature of habit, and you could set your watch on the thousands of his evening commute home each week day. Precisely at 5 o’clock he would put on his overcoat and hat take the elevator down to Michigan Avenue, walking to the north – south CTA subway station at state and Lake. (Now the red line). He would board the northbound train for the 20-minute ride to the Bryn Mawr station and then the Peterson Avenue. Like clockwork he would arrive home for a 6 o’clock family dinner.

But on the evening of November 5, 1956, One day before the presidential election between Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson, all that changed.

Chicago Gilded Mansions

Back in the day, Chicago was home to dozens of great and beautiful Victorian homes. The largest mansions were built for the city’s well-heeled social elite Many like the Palmer Potter mansion on Lakeshore Drive which was sadly torn down.

Many others were of frame construction and are easily recognized by their trademarked tower. They were not considered the mansions their time but rather beautiful family homes. A few have survived and restored.

At least two were converted into funeral homes.

Uncle Louie’s haunted mansion

For over 40 years, my interests have included cemeteries, and building miniatures so just for fun I have built called Uncle Louie’s haunted mansion.

So, for the first time I have combined two of my work, cemetery research and building miniatures. Building a miniature haunted mansion complete with a cemetery alongside . It was built to one half scale dollhouse size and is about 40 inches tall. I have been building miniatures since 1990 and this project is the largest taking a full year to build. A miniature project should tell a story, a reason for being.

So here is uncle Louie’s haunted mansion – the back story. Please enjoy!

Cemetery buses

Back in the day cemeteries were a popular destination especially on Sundays and holidays. People, visited , fixed the graves and often made a day of it. It was a family affair. However some cemeteries in the Chicago area are quite large and getting to a cemetery lot was often difficult, especially if you were elderly or infirm.

Some cemeteries provided a cemetery motor bus service from the main gate to the burial lot. Other cemeteries offered a bus service connecting a streetcar or train stop with the entrance gate of the cemetery. And still others provided both.