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

St. Hyacinth Parish World War I Memorial

1916 • 1918

— Dulce et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori —

St. Hyacinth Parish World War I Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 22, 2025

1. St. Hyacinth Parish World War I Memorial

Inscription.
[Front panel:]In honor of the 499 men of St. Hyacinth Parish who served in World War I
[Right side panel:]
Chateau-Thierry
Argonne

✝
Our Hero Dead Baczkowski S. • Budnik M. • Drisch Ed. • Kaminski J. • Kowalewski K. • Kruszynski J. • Lechel Ed. • Oszwaldowski Eu. • Skorczewski F. • Suchotarski K. • Tamillo Ed. L. • Zahkowski S.
R.I.P.

[Polish language text on the rear panel:]
• Swoim •
499 chlopcom w armiach Stanów Zjednoczony i Polski w wojnie swiatowe i ze czciz Parafja sw Jacka

Erected 1924 by American citizens of Polish descent; members of St. Hyacinth's Parish.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Immigration • Religion & Religious Structures • War, World I.

Location. 41° 56.017′ N, 87° 43.096′ W. Memorial is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Avondale. It is on West George Street west of North Central Park Avenue, on the left when traveling west. The memorial is in a fenced garden area just east (left) of the main entrance to St. Hyacinth Basilica. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 3636 West Wolfram Street, Chicago IL 60618, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is 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.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Rev. Jerzy Popiełuszko (here, next to this marker); St. Stanislaus Kostka Auditorium Crowned Eagle (within shouting distance of this marker); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Florsheim Shoe Company Building (approx. 0.6 miles away); (Former) Kimbell Trust and Savings Bank (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Boulevard System (approx. 0.7 miles away); Logan Square • Palmer Square (approx. 0.7 miles away); Logan Square Boulevards (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this memorial. The Latin text on the base of the memorial translates into English as, "It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country."

The Polish text on the rear is a translation of the English text on the front. "Jacka" is the Polish translation of Hyacinth; the traditionally Polish section of the Avondale neighborhood where this church sits has long been known as Jackowo, meaning Hyacinth Village.

St. Hyacinth Church, built in the Polish Cathedral style, was declared a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church in 2003.

Also see . . .
1. History of St. Hyacinth Basilica. (Submitted on May 23, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. Chicago magazine: The Death (and Possible Rebirth) of Jackowo

St. Hyacinth WWI dead image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 22, 2025

2. St. Hyacinth WWI dead

The side of this memorial, erected on July 4, 1924, lists the local men who died in World War I.

Subhead: "It was once the biggest immigrant hub of its kind in the United States. But the Poles are moving out, real estate costs are going up, and buildings sit vacant along the once-humming Milwaukee Avenue. What will become of Chicago’s last Polish neighborhood?"

(Submitted on May 23, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

St. Hyacinth Basilica, Chicago image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 22, 2025

3. St. Hyacinth Basilica, Chicago

Three notable memorials can be seen in this garden just west of the basilica. From left to right: A statue of Pope John Paul II; a memorial to Jerzy Popiełuszko, a Polish priest killed by Polish secret police in 1984; and a 1924 memorial dedicated in honor of the St. Hyacinth Parish's World War I veterans.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 22, 2025

4. St. Hyacinth Parish World War I Memorial

The text on the rear of the memorial (the right side in this photo) is a Polish translation of the English text on the front.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 22, 2025

5. St. Hyacinth Parish World War I Memorial

The memorial was dedicated by American citizens of Polish descent who were members of St. Hyacinth Parish.

Edmund Louis Tamillo (1896-1917) image. Click for full size.

Courtesy of Chicago History Museum

6. Edmund Louis Tamillo (1896-1917)

Edmund Tamillo was one of 12 American sailors who died when a picket boat for the U.S.S. Michigan foundered in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean on October 30, 1917. Tamillo's body was recovered, and he is buried at St. Adalbert Cemetery in suburban Niles, Illinois. Tamillo would have turned 21 years old on November 14. According to a Chicago Tribune report about his death, Tamillo's home address was 3109 N. Central Ave., about three miles west of this memorial at St. Hyacinth. He had been a law student, the paper said, when he enlisted in the Navy three years earlier. This image of Tamillo is preserved by the Chicago History Museum as part a collection of photographs of Chicago-area servicemembers who died in World War I.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 23, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 159 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 23, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 3. submitted on May 22, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 4, 5. submitted on May 23, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 6. submitted on June 13, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.