Bohemian National Cemetery
Cemetery featuring rare glass-fronted columbariumA cemetery on the north side of Chicago, Illinois, the Bohemian National Cemetery was established by some of the members of the city's Czech community in 1877. The community was inspired to establish their own burial grounds after a Czech Catholic woman named Marie Silhanek was denied burial at several other cemeteries in the area; she was denied, reportedly, because she never made a final confession before it was too late.
Outraged, the Czech community bought 50 acres in what was then Jefferson Township. Today, the cemetery is at least 126 acres in size, having grown incrementally over the years. Despite the great story of its founding, though, not many know the Bohemian National Cemetery's history. Instead, they know of the cemetery because it houses a very rare glass-fronted columbarium and an elaborate entrance that can be seen in the images above.
A new columbarium was added in 2009 and specially dedicated to Chicago Cubs fans. The structure is a replica of the red brick wall at Wrigley Field, the Cubs' home. The columbarium includes a stained glass image of Wrigley's scoreboard. The Cubs were not directly involved in the construction of the structure. Instead, it was built by a fan named Dennis Mascari because he wanted to make his visits to the cemetery less depressing. The cemetery agreed when Mascari was able to raise the necessary funds - but they wouldn't let him broadcast Cubs games from a nearby speaker.
The cemetery was featured in the 1998 film U.S. Marshals and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. Some of the most notable residents of the Bohemian National Cemetery include Anton Cermak, a mayor of Chicago who was assassinated in 1933; Otto Kerner, Sr., a former Illinois Attorney General; and Charles J. Vopicka, a U.S. ambassador to several eastern European countries.
Read more about Bohemian National Cemetery on Atlas Obscura...
Category: Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues, Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries, Intriguing Environs
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Edited by: lja9mayse, Nicholas Jackson, Rachel