In a pivotal moment for Forest Park’s history, the events of May 1886 in nearby Chicago reverberated through the town, shaping its identity and putting it at the forefront of labor rights movements. It is marked with the Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument that serves as a funeral monument and sculpture located at Forest Home Cemetery.
Why? Forest Park’s recreation board member and a volunteer for the Historical Society of Society of Forest Park Amy Binns-Calvey can tell you. She gives guided tours about the monument. Through October, the historical society offers the Haymarket Martyrs Monument & Radical Row Tour. Participants can learn the story of the Haymarket Affair, the monument and those who choose to be buried near this monument.
Binns-Calvey said it is one of the very few sites that is a National Historic Landmark in a cemetery.
“It was quite a process to have it designated as a historic landmark,” she said.
In 1886, Chicago’s robust labor movement saw its largest demonstration on May 1, with as many as 80,000 workers marching up Michigan Avenue in unity, advocating for the Eight-Hour Day Movement. Tensions escalated on May 3 after police attacked and killed picketing workers at the McCormick Reaper plant, sparking outrage.
The violence spurred a protest meeting at Haymarket Square on May 4, initially disorganized with fewer attendees than expected. As the meeting neared its end, a dynamite bomb, whose origin remains a mystery, was thrown, leading to chaos. Police responded with gunfire, resulting in seven officers and four workers losing their lives.
The Haymarket Affair was a pivotal event in labor history where labor unrest and a bombing led to the wrongful conviction and execution of several labor activists in Chicago.
Those who were executed were buried in Waldheim Cemetery because of its inclusive burial policy. In the 1960s, Waldheim merged with Forest Home.
“People from around the world come to visit this monument,” Binns-Calvey said.
International Workers’ Day, also known as Labor Day or May Day, is celebrated on May 1 to honor laborers and the working class. It became a global holiday promoted by the international labor movement, distinct from the U.S. Labor Day
“It’s not a coincidence that our Labor Day is pretty far away from this. The United States government did not want to continue to celebrate the Haymarket martyrs. In fact, Labor Day was picked almost to placate the workers after the Pullman Strike,” Binns-Calvey said.
This dignified monument features a sixteen-foot-tall granite shaft resting on a two-tiered base, upon which are positioned two bronze figures. The central figure depicts a woman standing over a male worker, symbolizing justice placing a wreath on the fallen worker’s head.
The monument’s pedestal bears the inscription “1887,” marking the year of the executions. On the first step, a quote attributed to Spies, captured shortly before his hanging, declares, “The day will come when our silence will speak louder than the voices you strangle today.”
On the monument’s reverse side, the names of the men are listed, accompanied by a bronze plaque displaying the text of the later pardon issued by Governor John Peter Altgeld of Illinois.
This dignified monument features a 16-foot-tall granite shaft resting on a two-tiered base, upon which are positioned two bronze figures. The central figure depicts a woman standing over a male worker, symbolizing Justice placing a wreath on the fallen worker’s head.
Executive Director of the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce Laurie Kokenes noted that many of Forest Park’s cemeteries have historically significant gravesites and are the final resting place for some notable and famous people including those buried in Radical Row.
“The tours bring folks from all over to see the monument and learn historical facts behind it, and we’re grateful that the Historical Society of Forest Park works so hard to draw attention to and preserve Forest Park history,” Kokenes said.
The monument is located at 863 Desplaines Ave. Tours run on the first Saturday of the month through October. A $10 donation is suggested. Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/haymarket-martyrs-monument-radical-row-tour-2024-tickets-915741245717
Clarification, July 12, 10:03 a.m.: After publication, Forest Park recreation board member and Historical Society of Society of Forest Park volunteer Amy Binns-Calvey clarified that she meant the monument is one of few sites that is a National Historic Landmark in a cemetery. The article has been updated to reflect that clarification.
