Montrose Cemetery Walk
Chicago's Montrose Cemetery, 5400 North Pulaski, is, for Chicago, a relatively small but still very interesting cemetery among a group of cemeteries which once sat at the outer edge of the city. Located across the street from the better-known Bohemian National Cemetery and immediately to the north of St. Luke's (Lutheran) Cemetery, Montrose Cemetery is noted for the burials of a wide variety of ethnic groups with often eye-popping grave monuments.
We will be viewing German, Japanese (from before World War II - an interesting tale), a massive "Assyrian genocide memorial" and related burials as well as Romany, Indian, Iranian, Puerto Rican and Mexican burial plots since the cemetery’s opening in 1902, has from its beginning had an "Everyone is welcome!" policy. We will also be walking some of the time in a grove of native oaks which grew here before the birth of Chicago itself. Our cemetery walk guide will be Craig Pfannkuche.
Participants in the tour are strongly requested to appear at the cemetery by public transit. The Pulaski Road CTA bus serves the cemetery well. If one must drive, parking for only a few vehicles will be at the far back (west end) of the cemetery where you will be met by the tour guide (map will be provided). Parking is also available on neighborhood streets nearby (not on Pulaski).
Registration is required via the CGS website. The cemetery is limiting the allowable group size to 25. A waitlist will be available. Attendees will receive an email the day before with a cemetery map detailing information on the meeting spot. A public restroom is available in the crematorium building.
Optional – bring your lunch and eat among the stones after the walk with the group.
If you are unable to attend, we plan on live streaming some of the cemetery walk that day on Facebook so check it out.
***CGS Members*** The CGS Cemetery Committee Chair is offering to take gravestone photos for members at the Montrose Cemetery. One request per member please. Depending on the number of requests received, it may not be possible for volunteers to complete every one. Also, volunteers may not be successful in finding the requested graves. If the grave is located, you will be emailed photo(s) of the gravestone and CGS will also load the photos on FindAGrave. Provide the name, dates, location (section, plot) if known. You can contact the cemetery office and request information. Please check FindAGrave and BillionGraves websites first to see if a photo is already available. Send your request by June 30th to CGS info@chicagogenealogy.org Attn: Montrose Cemetery Walk Gravestone Photo Request.
