Lincoln Park in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Chicago is Curious
Chicago es Curioso
Photographed By Sean Flynn, March 6, 2024
1. Chicago is Curious Marker, Side One
[Front side text:]The Potawatomi word for curious (the act of going about seeking things)
La palabra Potawatomi para la curiosidad (el acto de salir y buscar cosas)
History is everywhere in Chicago, even underground. The thriving park where you're now standing was once the city cemetery. In the 1960s, city officials began relocating the graves to cemeteries further away from the growing city center, but the Couch tomb remains a visible reminder.
La historia se encuentro en todos partes de Chicago hasta debajo de la tierra. Este porque en que estás. antes fue el cementerio de la ciudad. En la década de 1860, las autoridades municipales comenzaron a mover estas tumbas fuera dal centro de la ciudad. Lo tumbo Couch permanece coma un recordatorio visible.
[Below the image of a map:]
Map entitled "Area and Boundaries of Lincoln Park," Chicago, 1873.
Mapa titulado "Areas y Fronteras del Parque Lincoln," Chicago, 1873.
[Rear side text:]
this page online
The Couch tomb was the burial place of real estate millionaire Ira Couch. Upon his death in 1957, his family commissioned architect John Van Cadel to design this lavish tomb. Couch was laid to rest here in 1858, but we do not know who else was buried in this tomb or if any bodies remain inside.
La tumba de Couch es la ultima marada del millonario tro Couch. En su vida. Couch se enriqueció de los bienes raices en Chicago. Cuando falleció en 1867, sus familiares contrataron John Van Osdel, el primer arquitecte profesional en lo cludad, para diseñar esta lujosa lumbo. El señor Couch fue enterrade aqui en 1858. Actualmente, no sabemos quien mas fue enterrado en esta tumbo, ni si algún cuerpo permanece adentro.
[Caption beneath the photo:]
The Couch tomb in Lincoln Park, with a police officer standing nearby, Chicago, c. 1911.
La Tumba Couch en el Parque Lincoln, con un oficial cerca, Chicago, hacia 1911.
Erected 2021 by Chicago History Museum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Native Americans • Parks & Recreational Areas.
Location. 41° 54.781′ N, 87° 37.885′ W. Marker is in Chicago
Photographed By Sean Flynn
2. Chicago is Curious Marker, Side Two
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Couch Tomb (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Couch Tomb (within shouting distance of this marker); Chicago is Complex (within shouting distance of this marker); Chicago is Zhegagoynak (within shouting distance of this marker); The Richard M. and Shirley H. Jaffee History Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); Chicago is Resilient (within shouting distance of this marker); Chicago is Community (within shouting distance of this marker); Abraham Lincoln Monument (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
Regarding Chicago is Curious. A nearby marker titled Hidden Truths also tells about the park's origins as a cemetery. Another marker from 1999 about Couch's Tomb was not visible when visited in 2024 and may have been removed for the history trail.
Also see . . .
Photographed By Sean Flynn
3. Chicago is Curious Marker
Excerpt: "After the cemetery land became part of Lincoln Park in 1869, families were expected to make arrangements to move the remains of their relatives. It is not entirely clear as to why the Couch Tomb was left behind. It seems likely; however, that surviving family members thought it too expensive to move the fifty-ton structure to another cemetery. By 1899, the Lincoln Park Commissioners asserted that '…it would be impossible to remove the vault, except at great expense, and the Commissioners preferred to allow it to remain as an interesting reminder of the Park’s origin.'"(Submitted on March 8, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Chicago Daily News Collection, Chicago History Museum, circa 1911
4. Couch Tomb (1911)
A policeman stands guard in front of Couch Tomb, along La Salle Drive, in this 1911 photo from the Chicago Daily News.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 45 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 7, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 3, 4. submitted on March 8, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
