Berwyn in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

World War I Memorial

Photographed by Sean Flynn

1. World War I Memorial

The names of six battles are etched on the steps.

Inscription. Aisne-Marne • Champagne-Marne • Chateau-Thiery • Meuse-Argonne • St. Mihiel • Somme

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • War, World I.

Location. 41° 50.216′ N, 87° 47.965′ W. Memorial is in Berwyn, Illinois, in Cook County. It can be reached from Wisconsin Avenue north of 30th Street, on the left when traveling south. The remnants of this World War I marker are in the center of Proksa Park to the east of the turtle pond and creek and to the west of the butterfly field. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 3001 Wisconsin Ave, Berwyn IL 60402, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in Greater Chicago.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers

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are within walking distance of this marker: Berwyn 9/11 Memorial (a few steps from this marker); A Brief History of the Berwyn Park District (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Proksa Park (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named A Brief History of the Berwyn Park District (about 500 feet away); Arthur J. Dunham Centennial Home (approx. 0.2 miles away); Illinois Open Space Lands (approx. 0.3 miles away); Berwyn Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); St. Leonard Catholic Church Bicentennial Flag Pole (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Berwyn.

More about this memorial. The triangular platform of steps, with the names of six World War I battles etched into the limestone, is the only evidence that this section of the park is a memorial to World War I. A crushed-rock planter is located in the center of the triangle, and at each corner is a flagpole, one each for the United States, Illinois and POW-MIA.

It is not clear whether this memorial originally involved more than the names of battles. Read Commentary 1 for some information on what the available evidence says about

World War I Memorial: Chateau-Thiery and Meuse-Argonne image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, July 15, 2023

2. World War I Memorial: Chateau-Thiery and Meuse-Argonne

this memorial.

Additional commentary.
1. Was there more to the WWI Memorial in Proksa Park?
This platform listing the names of six World War I battles sits in the middle of Proksa Park. Berwyn’s largest park at around 15 acres, it was renamed in 1959 in honor of its long-time superintendent, who retired that year. While news reports at that time of its renaming referred to the park's previous name “Community Park,” it appears to have been most commonly known by locals as Berwyn Park.

This is not the only World War I memorial existing in Berwyn today. About a mile southeast, in front of the old Lavergne School at the triangular intersection of Ogden Avenue (Old Route 66), 34th Street and Ridgeland Avenue, is a large boulder with a bronze plaque that lists the names of 11 local men who died in World War I. Dedicated by the Women’s Club of Berwyn, it was unveiled around 1922, according to a Berwyn newspaper report from the 1930s. The overwhelming evidence from both contemporary and more recent reports indicates that this Women’s Club memorial has been in the same location for its entire existence.

Meanwhile, two newspaper articles

World War I Memorial: St. Mihiel and Somme image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, July 15, 2023

3. World War I Memorial: St. Mihiel and Somme

offer tantalizing clues about this Proksa Park memorial. First, from November 8, 1928, in the Suburban Leader based out of neighboring Cicero, a blurb about upcoming Armistice Day celebrations notes that Berwyn American Legion Post 422 was planning observances on November 11, with Josephus Daniels, the U.S. Secretary of the Navy during World War I, as the keynote speaker. "Much interest is shown on this account," the article said. It added that the ceremony would include the raising of the flag and the "dedication of the memorial" would also occur. Unfortunately, a location is not given, and there are no details about what the memorial would entail.

Then, a November 11, 1928, article in the Chicago Tribune about Armistice Day 10th anniversary celebrations around Chicagoland offers more details. The article describes Post 422’s ceremony in Berwyn at “Memorial Park,” in which 10,000 attendees came out to see the unveiling of “a memorial to the soldier dead of Berwyn.” The event featured appearances by Boy and Girl Scouts, the Morton High School band, and members of the 132nd Infantry, a famed Illinois unit. The article then quotes speaker

World War I Memorial: Aisne-Marne image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn

4. World War I Memorial: Aisne-Marne

Josephus Daniels: “Our boys who died over there — and those who died here — will not be dead until they are forgotten, and they will never be forgotten."

Is Memorial Park the same as Proksa Park? And if so, was there more to this World War I memorial than the platform with the names of battles on it? Unfortunately, conclusive evidence has not yet been found — no photos of the event or other descriptions of the ceremony have been ascertained at this time. But it seems quite possible that the memorial dates to 1928, and that it was one worthy of an event of major stature.

— Submitted September 12, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.

Additional keywords. berwyn proksa park

World War I Memorial: Champagne-Marne image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn

5. World War I Memorial: Champagne-Marne

Photographed by Sean Flynn

6. World War I Memorial

Berwyn's 9/11 memorial is in the foreground.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 10, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 565 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 14, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.