The Loop District in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Central Station Fragments
These carved granite fragments are from the Illinois Central Station which stood at the southwest edge of Grant Park for more than 75 years. Bradford Lee Gilbert, a prolific architect of American railroad buildings, designed the massive Romanesque style structure. Completed in 1893, the station accommodated visitors who thronged to Chicago to attend the World's Columbian Exposition. The station possessed special significance to more than 500,000 African-Americans who left the rural south to settle here between 1916 and 1970. Considered Chicago's “Black Ellis Island,” the building represented the hope of a new life.
“One-Way Ticket”
by Langston Hughes, 1949
I pick up my life
And take it with me
And I put it down in
Chicago, Detroit,
Buffalo, Scranton,
Any place that is North and East—
And not Dixie.
I pick up my life
And take it on the train
To Los Angeles, Bakersfield,
Seattle, Oakland, Salt Lake,
Any place that is
North and West—
And not South.
I am fed up
With Jim Crow laws,
People who are cruel
And afraid,
Who lynch and run,
Who are scared of me
And me of them.
I pick up my life
And take it away
On a one-way ticket—
Gone up North,
Gone out West,
Gone!
Erected 2015 by Chicago Park District.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 41° 52.084′ N, 87° 37.364′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in The Loop District. Marker can be reached from South Michigan Ave. At the South end of Grant Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1135 South Michigan Ave, Chicago IL 60605, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Blues Trail: Mississippi to Chicago (within shouting distance of this marker); Aaron Montgomery Ward Gardens (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hotel Somerset (approx. 0.2 miles away); 910 South Michigan (approx. 0.2 miles away); John A. Logan (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ludington Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Crane Company Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fairbanks Morse & Company Building (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 19, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 515 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 19, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7. submitted on November 25, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.