The Loop District in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Robert Williams
1878-1919
| | Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project | |
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 15, 2025
1. Robert Williams Marker
Erected 2025 by Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Disasters. In addition, it is included in the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project, Illinois series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 29, 1919.
Location. 41° 52.606′ N, 87° 37.669′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in The Loop District. It is on State Street south of Van Buren Street, on the right when traveling south. The marker is embedded into the sidewalk next to the Harold Washington Library, near its northeast corner. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 400 South State Street, Chicago IL 60604, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker 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. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Harold Washington (within shouting distance of this marker); Leiter II Building (within shouting distance of this marker); State Street (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Old Colony Building (about 300 feet away); Fisher Building (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Dearborn Street (about 400 feet away); The DePaul Center (about 500 feet away); Auditorium Building (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
this page online
More about this marker. The sidewalk marker is one of 19 erected by the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project in remembrance of those killed during the deadly racial violence that gripped Chicago in the summer of 1919. Inspired by the Stolpersteine ("Stumbling Stones") project in Europe, which erects sidewalk markers honoring Holocaust victims, these markers in Chicago have been placed on sidewalks at sites where people were killed in 1919.
Regarding Robert Williams. On July 27, 1919, Eugene Williams, a Black 17-year-old, was riding in a homemade raft with four friends in Lake Michigan when it accidentally floated past the invisible boundary that demarcated what was a de-facto "whites-only" part of the beach. A white man, George Stauber, threw stones at the boys and killed Williams. The scene set off a wave of protests followed by a week of racially driven violence. Between July 27 and Aug. 3, 38 people died (23 were Black and 15 white), more than were 500 injured, and more than 1,000 people, most of them Black, had their homes destroyed.
Robert Williams, a native of Jackson, Miss., had migrated to Chicago, where he worked as a janitor. On the morning of July 29, Williams was attacked by a white mob that chased him
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 15, 2025
2. Robert Williams Marker
The Loop elevated train is seen in this north-facing photo.
Also see . . . Commemorating the Killed: Robert Williams.
Excerpt: "On the day of July 29th, several eyewitnesses identified Bigart to the police as the leader of white gangs targeting Black men in the Loop district. Bigart was arrested later in the day after Williams had died from his injuries, but was initially only charged with disorderly conduct. He was booked in boys court (which had jurisdiction over male defendants between the ages of 17 and 21), was fined $5, and sentenced to 30 days in the Chicago House of Corrections. Bigart escaped from the prison shortly afterward on August 5th. On August 9th, James Williams sighted Bigart in Grant Park and identified him to police at South Clark Station as the person who killed Robert Williams on July 29th. Bigart was held and questioned for this crime, at which point he confessed to murdering a cobbler on August 8th as well. It was for this murder that Bigart was issued a life sentence at the Joliet penitentiary on February 18, 1920. A week later, the Chicago Defender ran the headline White Riot Murderer Gets Life Sentence."(Submitted on November 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 15, 2025
3. Robert Williams Marker
In this south-facing view, the Harold Washington Library is on the right. The spot where Robert Williams succumbed to his wounds is about two blocks in the distance.
Chicago Commission on Race Relations; Courtesy of Chicago History Museum (ICHi-030315), July 27, 1919
4. The Beginning of the Chicago Race Riot of 1919
A large crowd of people assembled at 29th Street Beach after Eugene Williams was stoned to death on July 27, 1919.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 63 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 15, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 4. submitted on February 8, 2021, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
