The dead buried in Forest Park, Illinois (population 14,300) have been estimated at over 600,000 souls , possibly as much as one million, most of which are in one of three Waldheim cemeteries. Also in Forest Park is Concordia Lutheran Cemetery, Altenheim, and Woodlawn Cemetery.
There are thousands of Cook County deaths certificates simply marked “Waldheim” (German for forest home). If you are doing your family genealogy and run into one of these death certificates, you may be unsure as to which Waldheim is your correct one. It is a question I get often.
The answer is even more complex than the title of this story. There are basically three cemeteries BUT actually over 270 separate burial grounds, that can be considered Waldheim., all in Forest Park, Let me explain.
The dearly departed have a lot to say because of the efforts of talented cemetery reenactors who stand over a grave portraying the “residents” buried below, while resurrecting their stories and accomplishments.
I often say that the dash (-) Between birth and the death on a tombstone and is the most important part because it represents the story the person, their successes as well as their misfortunes. The words “Our Beloved wife…” hardly tells the full story of a life.
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.
They were everywhere! As Early as 1859 In Chicago they were a welcome refuge for Chicagoans coping with a hot summer. only to become less important with the advent of home air conditioning. In the 1920s there were more than 500 festive places in the Chicago area to escape the heat, eat, dance and drink. They were largely an old-world tradition brought to Chicago by German, Polish, and Irish immigrants.
Most summer gardens with names like Edelweiss, Germania, Heidelberg, Bismarck Gardens, or Rienzi.began by German-Americans. Wherever you went on a hot summer day you would find steins of beer, wine, music, dancing and a wide variety of activities.
Summer gardens were more commercial and elaborate, patterned after the old world European beer gardens. There you might find tables and chairs, food service, electric lighting, a stage, or even parking for your horse in a covered buggy shed. Some like Riverview evolved into amusement parks. and more. An orchestra of 12 to 20 pieces were common. Many but not all were on the north side catering to the German population. Back in the day newspapers describe the summer gardens as study of mosquitoes.
Although there was a fuzzy line between a picnic grove and a summer garden. picnic groves were more often a mom and pop operation. Many were simply behind a tavern with picnic benches and an outdoor bar. Larger ones could include a beer hall, dance pavilion, a bowling alley, rides or games.. They could be found just about anywhere there was a vacant piece of land. They could be found all over the city and it’s suburbs.
All was not perfect because summer gardens had to deal with noise, anti-German sentiment, labor strikes, and of course the prohibition act of 1919.
The most popular of course was Schutzen (Sharpshooters Park) which of course became the famous Riverview amusement park at Belmont and Western . There were two large picnic groves , refreshment stands and a ballroom . The groves could hold as many as 20,000 people in one day and were popular for organizations holding huge picnics and special events.
Other picnic groves were somewhat of a cousin to cemeteries but catering the mourners who made a long trip to bury their loved ones.
After a funeral and not wasting the rest of the day, there were picnic groves in close proximity to cemeteries where people could eat and drink and dance before the long buggy ride home.
And well after a funeral, death continued to be a constant visitor for many families, so family and friends would return to cemeteries often to “talk” and break bread with the deceased. Often it was simply a pleasant Sunday afternoon picnic among the tombstones remembering the deceased..
Greve Cemetery- Hoffman Estates
Read more as we visit many of them and learn of some of their oddities
Chicago and Cook County Cemeteries 