Famous Graves in the Chicago Southland
Travel Inspiration
Supporters of icons, whether music, religious, sports or military remain dedicated after their passing. The Chicago Southland is home to an eclectic mix, from famous blues musicians to Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, civil rights icons, Chicago mayors and the founder of the Nation of Islam.
Sports
- Andrew Foster
Baseball Hall of Famer, Manager and executive who founded the Negro National League in 1920
Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island - Brian Piccolo
Professional Football Player
Saint Mary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, Evergreen Park - Frederick Wayman “Duke” Slater
Football great, Civil Rights pioneer
Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens (South), Glenwood - Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor
Between 1897 and 1900, he was considered "the fastest bicycle rider in the world"
Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens (South), Glenwood
Music
- John Curulewski
Founding member of the band Styx
Saint Benedict Catholic Cemetery, Crestwood - Willie James Dixon
Legendary blues musician and songwriter
Restvale Cemetery, Alsip - Walter “Shakey” Horton
Blues harmonica player also known as “Big Walter”
Restvale Cemetery, Alsip - Gene Krupa (Eugene Bertram)
Legendary drummer, Band leader
Holy Cross Cemetery, Calumet City - McKinley “Muddy Waters” Morganfield
Blues icon
Restvale Cemetery, Alsip - Samuel “Magic Sam” Maghett
Blues guitarist
Restvale Cemetery, Alsip - Koko Taylor
Grammy winning blues singer, “Queen of the Blues”
Washington Memory Gardens Cemetery, Homewood - Theodore Roosevelt “Hound Dog” Taylor
Chicago blues guitarist and singer
Restvale Cemetery, Alsip - Dinah Washington
Singer and pianist
Burr Oak Cemetery, Alsip
Military
- Private George Stokes, U.S. Army
Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Oakland Memory Lanes, Dolton - Corporal John Peter Fardy, U.S. Marine Corps
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Alsip - Private First Class Anton Krotiak, U.S. Army
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Alsip - Specialist Fourth Class Carmel Bernon Harvey Jr.
Vietnam Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Cedar Park Cemetery, Calumet Park
Etcetera
- Robert Sengstacke Abbott
Editor and founder of the popular African-American newspaper the “Chicago Defender”
Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island - Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks
Pulitzer Prize winning poet
Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island - Bessie “Brave Bessie” Coleman
First female African American aviator
Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island - Noble Drew Ali
Founder of Moorish Science Temple of America
Burr Oak Cemetery, Alsip - Richard J. Daley
Chicago Mayor from 1955 to 1976, known as “The Boss”
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Alsip - Bernie Mac (Bernard Jeffrey McCullough)
Comedian, Actor
Washington Memory Gardens Cemetery, Homewood - Elijah Muhammad (Poole)
Founder of the Nation of Islam
Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens (South), Glenwood - Emmett Till
Civil rights icon
Burr Oak Cemetery, Alsip - Amanda Berry Smith
Evangelist and concert singer
Washington Memorial Gardens, Homewood - Dr. Charles Gavin
First African-American member of the National College of Orthopedic Surgeons
Mt. Glenwood Memory Gardens, Glenwood - Eugene Williams
African-American teen whose death sparked the 1919 Chicago race riot
Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island
Graveyard Blues Bicycle Tour
Coinciding with the Chicago Blues Festival, a Graveyard Blues Bicycle Tour is offered by the Friends of the Cal-Sag Trail. Riders make their way to several historic cemeteries in the Chicago Southland to hear Harmonica Neil Florek tell the stories and sing the songs of Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Hound Dog Taylor, Big Bill Broonzy, Magic Sam and other legends buried there. Visit CalSagTrail.org for more information.
Click here to see highlights from the past Graveyard Tours.
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