Atrocity at Burr Oak
Everyone in Chicago is now aware of the situation at Burr Oak Cemetery. The manager, Carolyn Towns, and three gravediggers are accused of digging up old burials and dumping the bones and shattered coffins in a disused area of the cemetery, in order to resell graves for cash – which they would then pocket, off the books. An estimated 300 graves were violated; and, because of what appear to be deliberate attempts to obfuscate the record books, potentially thousands of other graves may now be unidentifiable.
I visited Burr Oak only once, in 2003, at the invitation of a previous manager (the suspect’s predecessor, who has not been connected to these events in any way). She and her husband showed me the historic graves, such as Emmett Till, Dinah Washington, Otis Spann, Drew Ali… They were very proud of their cemetery and its history, in stark contrast to the vile profiteers who desecrated it a few years later. In 2003, the cemetery was in good condition, though there was a bit of flooding in the western portion. Mamie Till (Emmett’s mother) had recently been entombed there, in the cemetery’s only above-ground vault, and there were plans for a museum to be built on site.
But, in spite of its history, I did not revisit Burr Oak, and I have only a handful of photos – mostly close-ups of individual markers of the famous interments. I regret, now, that I had not obtained more landscape shots, before the cemetery became nefarious. My preference is for Victorian architecture and monument styles, and I just don’t find flat-marker cemeteries visually appealing; and as I had only recently switched to a digital camera (Nikon D100) I was not yet in the habit of shooting everything in sight, and getting plenty of wide shots.
So Burr Oak is lost to us. I have only a minimal record of what it looked like before the atrocity; and now it is forever tainted; once a place of history and culture, now it will be mentioned alongside the Tri-State Crematory as a horrific incident of betrayal of a sacred trust.
HI its so sad that people been digging up people graves and my grannys mom is at burr oak her name is mama nan or nanni can u please give us a call if her grave was dugg up thank you.hope u find them.
To inquire as to your relatives’ status, call the Cook County Sheriff at 1-800-942-1950.
Matt,
This is disgusting! My heart aches for the people who were so grossly violated. No heart, no class and for these creeps, no freedom! I am happy to know that my friend is buried at a classy and dignified place (Queen of Heaven).
Jon (former cemetery worker-Spring Grove Cincinnati)
i am tanya howard and i have family as burr oak cemetery they name are enda howard lonnie howard sr lonnie howard jr alssya howard george p howard anthony t howard frank howaed darryl howard johnny pink florence howard mary pink metcalf. willie allen jimmy lee miller ellnora allen can you help me
I have family members that have not yet been found at Burr Oak and my family is furious. We even pre-paid for plots for the future. It has reopened wounds. I think it is a disgrace and it’s not acceptable! People need to stop trying to always get over. This is just cruel! I will never forget this!!! Please find my loved ones!!!
I am asking permission to use your photo of the sign at the entrance (?) of St. Mary’s Cemetery in Champaign. I am compiling a family history and we have several ancestors buried in this cemetery. The photo would be an an inside page and relatively small in size just to give a sense of “place” to the graves of our ancestors. Sorry for doing this in your Blog section – I couldn’t find another way to contact you.
My father, Gus Edwards Holderness is buried at Burr Oak. Due to the fact that my family relocated to Denver, Colorado a couple of years after his death in 1971 we have not visited Burr Oak since leaving. None of us have returned to Chicago since that time. He has a brother and sister-in-law living there but I am not sure if they have visited since his funeral. He also has a sister in Milwaukee. A friend of my sister and brother-in-law’s wife used to visit when she visited her father’s grave but she has passed away. Another friend of my sister and brother-in-law has been out there twice to check on Daddy’s grave but it is still a crime scene and he has not been allowed access. I looked at the random gravestones put online by the Tribune there but have not seen my father’s. I know this is a gargantuan task for the S/O’s office and it will take time to gather the information. I have followed all of the protocal advised by Cook County S/O but I have heard nothing to date. Needless to say I am worried sick and extremely frustrated at having heard nothing at all and I just wish someone could tell me the status of my father’s grave. The perpetrators of this heinous crime need to burn in hell! I am appalled at the fact that they would even commit such an atrocity, but I am even more appalled at the fact that as African Americans, they could do this to their own and have no shame what-so-ever! Even though this ground has been reconsecrated by clergy, I don’t believe that it will ever be holy again. Our dear, blessed mother passed away last October and I should feel fortunate that she is gone as this may have killed her in and of itself but I know that she knows and is watching from heaven. This witch, Carolyn Towns has decided to play the crazy card in her defense. I hope it does not work. And if she is really crazy, I hope that it is a result of the spirits who have been disturbed haunting her every hour of the day and night. Let’s see. Is she going to claim bi-polar or perhaps Paranoid Schizophrenia! Hearing voices or extremely depressed and crying. Or both! Borderline, or just Manic! I hope that every therapist that sees her says that for all of the years she has been desecrating Burr Oak that she was and is fully sane to stand trial. She is no more than the worst sociopath I have ever come across and I have seen some doosies! All of us have financial problems but the greediness of these wicked people, which they don’t even deserve to be called goes beyond simple greed. It is pure unadulterated EVIL. I hope they all get 25 years. Hopefully, they will not get a change of venue, they don’t deserve it. I do not believe there is a place on this earth that hasn’t heard about this crime and abuse of the dead. They should be treated the same way other inmates treat child molesters and rapists and when it comes time for their Judgement, I hope the Good Lord has a special place in hell for them and on their journey, I hope that all those whom they have desecrated haunt them for eternity! My family can do nothing but continue to wait. I just hope and pray that justice will be done. And, I do forgive them. I want justice if my dad has been disturbed, not revenge, justice.
in april of 2008, i came to chicago for the sole purpose of searching for my father or some of his relatives. his name is arthur jones, and he was born in chicago.my birth certificate says that he was 26 yrs.old when i was born in 1945. he was in the army somewhere between 1943-1946, stationed in fort meade, md. if he is still living, he would be around 88yrs. old. if he is not living,there may be a chance that he is buried in this cemetery or at least some of his people. if anyone can help me with how i can locate his relatives, i would greatly appreciate it.
beside my email, i can also be reached @ 410-868-8249.
@billie l cooper
You can try and search for his birth certificate at this site:
http://www.cookcountygenealogy.com/
@billie l cooper
I don’t know if you tried this one, but only one I found with the right birth year. Otherwise, call every cemetery in the Chicago area and ask them. Get the plot from them and check it out. Depending on where you find him I could take a photo.
ARTHUR D JONES Born Jan 1919 Get the Dirt Check for Email Address Google
79 HARNETT AVE Neighborhood & Property Report Record Created: 07/2001
WOOD RIVER, IL 62095 (618) 254-1651
I have shown above the FindAGrave.com site for my great grandfather. I finally found him! I have a favor to ask you. I live in the west and my Minnesota relatives would never agree to go photograph the cemetery for me. They are still angry at him. Could I have your permission to put your photo of the Cook County Cemetery for the Indigent on the FindAGrave.com site for Potter’s Field?