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Graceland Cemetery

Graceland Cemetery, located in Uptown North in Chicago, Illinois, is a large, garden-shaped historic cemetery. Founded in 1860, its main entrance is located at the intersection of Clark Street and Irving Park Road. Within the cemetery's 121 acres (49 hectares) rest several prominent Chicago.

Here are some interesting details about Graceland Cemetery:

History and Foundation:

Thomas Barbour Bryan, a Chicago businessman, established Graceland Cemetery in 1860. The original 80-acre (32 ha) layout was designed by Swain Nelson.
Bryan would collaborate with William Butler Ogden, Sidney Sawyer, Edwin H. Sheldon, and George Peter Alexander Healy to create the cemetery.
Bryan's motivation was disappointment with the neglected and repugnant conditions of Chicago's City Cemetery, where his son Daniel was buried. He wanted to create a “rural burial ground, more remote and worthy of the city [of Chicago].”
Graceland was officially dedicated in August 1860, with the first burial of Daniel Page Bryan, the son of Thomas Bryan, who was exhumed from City Cemetery.

Monuments and Legends:
One of the most famous tombs is the one with the statue of a little girl, inscribed with the words: “Inez - Daughter of J.N. and M.C. Clarke - Born 20 September 1873 - Died 1 August 1880”.
For decades, the identity of the little girl and the person actually buried beneath the statue has been a matter of debate.
Legends include the little girl's death from being struck by lightning during a picnic or from being locked out of the house during a thunderstorm.
Some say the statue disappears during storms because Inez is afraid of being struck by lightning again.
According to 2007 research, the little girl may be Inez Briggs, Mary C. Clarke's stepdaughter from a previous marriage.
The statue has been theorized as a sample of sculptor Andrea Gagel's work to create commercial interest.
Genealogical records indicate that there is no Inez Clarke buried there, but there is an Amos Briggs alongside a child named Delbert Briggs.

Genealogy Research:
In 1880, the U.S. Census shows Inez Briggs living in Chicago with her grandparents, David R. Robhrock and Jane McClure Robhrock.
The pronunciation of the name Inez may have been confused with Amos, and the name Amos may have been misspelled in cemetery records.
Graceland has no record of someone named Inez Briggs buried there, but the transcription error theory explains discrepancy.
In short, Graceland Cemetery is a place of history, legends and natural beauty, where some of Chicago 1's most notable figures rest.

Map: Graceland Cemetery