Welcome to Mt. Glenwood Memory Gardens

Since its establishment in 1902, Mt. Glenwood Cemetery was hailed as one of the first cemeteries that did not segregate against African Americans and was reputed to be the first racially integrated cemetery in the Chicago region. African Americans who were previously forced to bury their loved ones under an “assumed name” were then allowed to lay their loved ones to rest with dignity and respect at Mt. Glenwood Memorial Gardens.

Mt. Glenwood's real existence began in the summer of 1908 when Mr. Patton became acquainted with Dr. E.S. Miller, J.L. Parks, R.M. Leach, Jackson Gordon, and L.W. Dickerson. These men, particularly Mr. Patton, noted the changing environment and the need for equality, which led to the formation of Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens.

“The unrest and heavy heartedness of a Washerwoman telling how she had to pay $50.00 for a grave while white people paid $25.00 stirred his very being. [Mr. Patton] decided to give them a chance the same as any other citizen.” – The Chicago Defender, “The Origin of Mt. Glenwood Cemetery” October 29, 1910.

While the rest of the nation was still recovering from the Civil War, Mt. Glenwood Memory Gardens became the first cemetery in the Chicago area to bury African Americans. “On Decoration Day, 300 people took a special C. & E. I. train for Mount Glenwood Cemetery. The cemetery is a beautiful sight to behold, locked in by the forest. At intervals, a train on the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railway passes, making its appearance and disappearing as if on a stage.” – The Chicago Defender, “Decoration Day at Mt. Glenwood” June 4, 1910.

As the above article states, there used to be a train stop at Mt. Glenwood Cemetery. Weekend trains would run on the following schedule: 2:15 from Dearborn Station, 2:25 from 47th and Wallace, and 2:30 from Englewood station. Families would come from across the country to pay respect to their beloved at Mt. Glenwood Cemetery Illinois. Picnics were a regular weekend event at Mount Glenwood Cemetery! The train station was at what is now the rear of the cemetery.

Notable black Chicagoans buried in Mt. Glenwood include Fred (Duke) Slater, Illinois’ first African-American circuit court judge [and the first African-American inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame], and Marshall “Major” Taylor, who in the 1890s was rated as the world’s fastest cyclist.” – Encyclopedia of Chicago History