Tombstone Tuesday: St. Johannes Cemetery, Chicago
Today’s update is a particularly sad one. The destruction of St. Johannes Cemetery has been ordered, though the owners fought valiantly for years to save it.
Monday, a DuPage County Judge ordered that title of the land be transferred to the City of Chicago so that O’Hare Airport – which is just beyond the fence at the rear of this photo – can have additional runways built. Within weeks, city workers will begin the obscene task of dismantling this cemetery. Bodies will be relocated to other cemeteries chosen by surviving family members.
With the entire corrupt Illinois political machine against them, St. John’s United Church of Christ faced a difficult struggle to save the cemetery. The state legislature even changed the law to favour the city (frightfully reminiscent of a bill of attainder). To base a ruling on laws passed after the trials began, specifically for the benefit of one of the parties and the detriment of the other, is not justice – it’s the sort of thing one expects in a third-world dictatorship.
Today’s featured stone is the H.F. Volberding monument at St. Johannes. The style is known as a “pedestal tomb”. Atop a concrete base (on which the Volberding name can still be clearly read), a tall block of marble stands. The front is inscribed with an intricate floral design surrounding the name and biographical details – in a fancy German script – of the persons buried here. The soft marble has weathered to such an extent that only the surname, in large lettering, is still readable; the other details have been lost.
What will happen to this monument, and the hundreds of others here, when the city completes its foul task? Will it be thrown onto a pile of rubble? If they attempt a proper removal and reconstruction at a new location, will this monument survive? Or will it crumble under the rough hands of city thugs who care nothing for the history they destroy?
There is an update on this case.
Court order stops grave removal near O’Hare
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7284297
Thanks for following this. I have family in that cemetery.
I have a twitter account for this:
SaveStJohannes
http://www.twitter.com/savestjohannes
It looks like this is my great grandmother’s (Mary Scharringhausen) first husband’s gravesite. I do not know much about him, except that he died at a young age. I am glad to see that grave removals have been stopped, at least for now. As evidenced by recent cemetery scandels, the City of Chicago does not have any respect for this countries pioneers.
@SaveStJohannes
I hope they don’t allow it. Where is the respect as a society if that happens. Sadly, the courts can kick you out of your own home if they want to. As long as it benefits progress, nothing matters. Sorry dearly departed. Time to move even though you were here long before the planes were even invented. I am glad they stopped it. The judge who had said yes should have a pack of jackals crap on his grave when he dies.
My family is related to the Kolze’s. The Kolze’s have the tallest monument in St. Johannes. She tells the story about the family gathering at the gravesite when the monument was erected and everyone pondering on how long it would take before a plane hit it. The evergreen tree planted nearby was shadowed by the monument. Years ago, my mother tried to gain access to the cemetary and was turned away by a guard who said this was a paupers cemetary wand nobody could access it. About 5 years ago I took my mother back and she was able to take photos and talk again about this side of the family. Maybe this is what cemetaries are all about – not just remembering the past but sharing the knowledge of family. When all is said and done, what do we really have but family.
@Outraged Dame
A pack of jackals crap on his grave? I like that. I wonder if packs of jackals can be rented for just a few hours…it seems a befitting end to a horrible decision.
What of the gravesites and tombstone where a living family member cannot be located? It is truly a sad story.