Lake Willowmere

Many of these massive monuments circumnavigate Lake Willowmere, the serene pond just to your north. Stroll around it in a counter-clockwise fashion and I’ll come with you to offer some more fascinating information about this magical place. You’ll see the history and majesty of the perished Chicago elite. The massive Palmer monument is a popular attraction. Easily one of the most impressive structures on the cemetery grounds. You’ll not need much description to determine which I’m speaking of. It was made for socialite Bertha Palmer and her husband, retail giant Potter. Today there most visible mark on the city is the massive Palmer House Hotel in the Loop. Among so many other things, Bertha is famous for helping invent the chocolate brownie in 1893.

You may recognize other names on tombs: Goodman of the Goodman Theatre downtown, Wacker of Wacker Drive. In fact, everyone buried around Lake Willowmere is famous in their own way. Lake Willowmere is a particularly enjoyable feature of this part of the cemetery as well. It was originally one of several planned and constructed ponds on the grounds but is the only one left standing today. Many of the people buried around it today knew each other intimately, reaching their Chicago status near the turn of the 20th-Century. In Eric Larson’s novel, Devil in the White City, he wrote of the dead buried around this pond saying, “On a crystalline fall day you can almost hear the tinkle of fine crystal, the rustle of silk and wool, almost smell the expensive cigars.”

As you continue on, don’t neglect the small island at the far north end of the pond either, where a very special Chicagoan is entombed; Daniel Burnham. Burnham became one of the most influential architects in American history. Among other achievements in his career, he was the Director of Works for the World’s Columbian Exposition. His grave rests under a humble boulder. 

Play the next track after you visit Burnham’s grave for directions.

Photo by Madi Delk, 2021. Published with permission.