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

Paul Hardwick

1868-1919

— Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project —

Paul Hardwick Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 15, 2025

1. Paul Hardwick Marker

Inscription. I am Eugene

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, 1929.

Location. 41° 52.762′ N, 87° 37.558′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in The Loop District. It is at the intersection of Wabash Avenue and Adams Street, on the left when traveling south on Wabash Avenue. The marker is embedded into the sidewalk next to the southeast stairwell up to the Adams/Wabash CTA "L" station. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60603, 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: Historic Michigan Boulevard (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Steger Building (about 400 feet away); Chicago Route 66 / Ruta 66 de Chicago (about 400 feet away); Float by Noah MacMillan (about 500 feet away); The Show Must Go On (about 500 feet away); State Street (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Historic Michigan Boulevard

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

(about 600 feet away); Palmer House Hotel (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

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 Paul Hardwick. 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.

Two days after Williams's death, the violence hit Chicago's Loop, where mobs of white

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 15, 2025

2. Paul Hardwick Marker

The marker is in the sidewalk next to the Adams/Wabash "L" stop.

civilians attacked African-Americans, leaving several dead. Paul Hardwick, a 50-year-old native Georgia, was a waiter at the Palmer House hotel, a half block north of here, and lived on Chicago's south side. The details of Hardwick's death are not known for certain, but a 1922 newspaper report claimed that Hardwick was walking to work when 30 men began pursuing him. Here at the corner Adams and Wabash, Hardwick confronted the mob and was shot in the chest by someone in the crowd. Hardwick's wife Laura sued the city for her husband's death in 1922 and was eventually awarded $5,000, the highest amount of any survivor.

Also see . . . Commemorating the Killed: Paul Hardwick.

Excerpt: “On July 30, 1920, [Hardwick's wife Laura] penned a tribute to her husband that was published in the Chicago Defender. It reads, in part, 'If I had seen you at the last and held your dying hand and heard the last sigh from your heart, I would not feel so badly. I did not know the pain you had, I did not see you die; I only know you went away and never said good-by. But let this little token tell that I will always think of you only. God knows the sorrow that is in my heart.'”

(Submitted on November 17, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 15, 2025

3. Paul Hardwick Marker

A stickered Route 66 sign is behind this marker. Mostly obscured in the far background on the right is the Art Institute of Chicago.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 15, 2025

4. Paul Hardwick Marker

A close-up of the image of Hardwick in the marker.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 17, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 46 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 17, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.