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

Frederick Allen Hampton

August 30th, 1948 - December 4th, 1969

— Fred Hampton Aquatic Center —

Fred Hampton marker on the wall of the Hampton Aquatic Center image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, September 15, 2023

1. Fred Hampton marker on the wall of the Hampton Aquatic Center

Inscription.
A fiery and charismatic speaker, he exemplified courage and championed the causes of oppressed people. Fred graduated from Irving Elementary and Proviso East High School.

As President of the West Suburban Youth NAACP and Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, he organized free breakfasts and led marches to fight oppression and racism.

Fred's legacy continues with the establishment of a Scholarship Fund for law students.

"You can kill a revolutionary but you can't kill a revolution."
- Fred Hampton

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Charity & Public Work • Civil Rights • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical date for this entry is August 30, 1948.

Location. 41° 53.202′ N, 87° 50.215′ W. Marker is in Maywood, Illinois, in Cook County. It is on Fred Hampton Way 0.1 miles west of 1st Avenue (Illinois Route 171), on the right when traveling west. The plaque is to the right of the main entrance of the Fred Hampton Pool, at the center of Maywood Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Fred Hampton Way, Maywood IL 60153,

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United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker 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 are within walking distance of this marker: Bicentennial Bandstand (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Harry H. Nichols House (about 500 feet away); Maywood World War I Veterans Memorial (about 600 feet away); Company B, 192nd Tank Battalion Memorial (about 600 feet away); 192nd Tank Battalion Memorial (about 600 feet away); Benjamin R. Morin, S.J., Memorial (about 600 feet away); Ten Mile Freedom House (approx. ¼ mile away); The Historic Maywood Home for Soldiers' Widows (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Maywood.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Site Of Company "B" 192nd Tank Battalion (was about 600 feet away but has been

Fred Hampton Pool and plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn

2. Fred Hampton Pool and plaque

replaced with another marker now near it).

More about this marker. A bronze bust of Fred Hampton is several yards in front of the building, near the street. It was designed by sculptor Preston Jackson and dedicated in 2006.

Oak Street, just south of the aquatic center, was renamed Fred Hampton Way some years ago; the building's address alternatingly appears in online sources as 300 Fred Hampton Way or 300 Oak Street. Nearby signs use Fred Hampton Way on the standard green signs, with brown signs calling it "Honorary" Oak Street.

Regarding Frederick Allen Hampton. Fred Hampton was born in Summit, a Chicago suburb, and at age 10 moved with his family to Maywood, another suburb about 12 miles west of downtown Chicago. The Hampton family residence in Maywood at 804 South 17th Avenue, about 1.5 miles southwest of the pool that now bears his name, is today a museum.

As a student at Proviso East High School (about a half-mile south of the pool), Hampton joined the Junior NAACP and became a leader and activist. In 1968, he joined the Black Panther Party and quickly rose to become leader of the Chicago chapter.

Early on the

Village of Maywood Fred Hampton Family Aquatic Center image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, September 15, 2023

3. Village of Maywood Fred Hampton Family Aquatic Center

The bust of Hampton can be seen to the left of the sidewalk; the Maywood Public Library is in the distant background.

morning of December 4, 1969, Hampton was drugged to sleep by a police informant at his apartment at 2337 West Monroe in Chicago, about nine miles east of this park. A few hours later, Chicago police raided the home, shot fellow Black Panther Mark Clark to death, and then shot Hampton three times while he was sleeping. The Cook County coroner in 1970 deemed the deaths of Hampton and Clark to be justifiable homicides. However, many still contend that Hampton's death was an assassination.

An estimated 5,000 people attended Hampton's funeral at the First Baptist Church of Melrose Park, about 1.5 miles northwest of this park. Jesse Jackson and Ralph Abernathy, Martin Luther King Jr.'s successor as head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, were among the Black leaders who gave eulogies.

Also see . . .
1. Fred Hampton bio. The Stanford University Libraries' "Say Their Names" exhibit, in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement, shares the story of Maywood native Fred Hampton.

Excerpt: "Fred was a gifted student and athlete dedicated to empowering and uplifting the Black community. He enrolled at Triton Junior College,
Photographed by Sean Flynn

4. Fred Hampton bust, Preston Jackson, sculptor
This bust in front of the Hampton Pool was dedicated in 2006.
where he majored in pre-law in hopes of using his knowledge of the legal system to stop police brutality. Active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) at a young age, Fred assumed leadership of its West Suburban Branch's Youth Council. He demonstrated his leadership capacity by building a youth group of 500 members. He also worked to establish better neighborhood recreational facilities and improve educational resources for impoverished Black communities. Fred’s life centered so much on community organizing and activism that he and his girlfriend Deborah Johnson (Akua Njeri) rented a four-room apartment at 2337 W. Monroe St., in order to be closer to BPP headquarters."

(Submitted on June 11, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. The Hampton House. Fred Hampton's family home on 17th Avenue in Maywood is today a museum. (Submitted on June 11, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Additional keywords. Fred Hampton Maywood

"Fred Hampton Steps of Time" fence display image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, September 15, 2023

5. "Fred Hampton Steps of Time" fence display

In honor of Fred Hampton's 75th birthday in 2023, the village of Maywood installed a fence display surrounding the Hampton Pool with a history of Hampton's life and impact, including photographs. The display was removed in 2024. In the photograph on the canvas panel pictured here, Hampton is the person at the left end of the table.

Canvas panel at Hampton Pool image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, September 15, 2023

6. Canvas panel at Hampton Pool

Part of the 2023 "Fred Hampton Steps of Time" display at the Hampton Pool, this panel describes Hampton's targeting by the FBI as a "radical threat" and his eventual death at the hands of the Chicago police. In this photograph, Hampton is seen in his open casket at his funeral at the First Baptist Church of Melrose Park, about a mile and a half northwest of the pool that now bears his name.

Fred Hampton’s childhood home in Maywood image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, January 10, 2026

7. Fred Hampton’s childhood home in Maywood

Hampton and his family moved into this house on 17th Avenue in Maywood when he was about 10 years old. It is about 1.5 miles west of the Hampton pool. The home is now a museum.

The site of Hampton's killing in Chicago image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 20, 2025

8. The site of Hampton's killing in Chicago

Fred Hampton was killed by police on December 4, 1969, at 2337 W. Monroe St. on Chicago's west side. The building where he was killed no longer exists and was replaced at some point by this current structure.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 15, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 1,553 times since then and 108 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on September 15, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 7. submitted on January 11, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 8. submitted on March 20, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.