Douglas (Bronzeville) in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
John Walter Humphrey
1898-1919
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025
1. John Walter Humphrey Marker
I am full of wonder
I am who I surround myself with
Erected 2024 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 28, 1919.
Location. 41° 49.87′ N, 87° 37.564′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Douglas (Bronzeville). It is on East 35th Street near South State Street, on the right when traveling west. The marker is one of five embedded into a sidewalk just west of the 35th-Bronzeville-IIT stop on the CTA Green Line train. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60616, 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: Edward Lee (here, next to this marker); William J. Otterson (here, next to this marker); Hymes Taylor (here, next to this marker); Chicago Race Riot of 1919 (here, next to this marker); Joseph Sanford (here, next to this marker); Welcome to Bronzeville (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also
this page online
More about this marker. The sidewalk marker is one of 19 erected (including five at this location near 35th and State) 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 John Walter Humphrey. 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
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025
2. Five markers honoring the Chicago Race Riot of 1919
Five markers lead up to the CTA Green Line "L" stop at 35th-Bronzeville-IIT.
The next day, July 28, a rumor spread that a white tenant at the Angelus, a whites-only apartment building that stood near this spot on 35th Street, had shot a Black child from a fourth-floor window. Hundreds of Black protesters converged on the spot and demanded a police investigation. After police searched the building and found no one, a policeman was hit by a brick from a protester. While the details remain hazy, gunfire began to ring out, likely from both police and protesters, and chaos ensued.
John Walter Humphrey, a 21-year-old native of Alabama who worked at the Union Stock Yards in Chicago, was part of the group of protesters. When gunfire began, he ran away, and investigators believed he was one of many in the crowd who sought protection at the 35th Street "L" station. Humphrey was shot here and killed. He was buried in Huntsville, Alabama.
Also see . . . Commemorating the Killed: John Walter Humphrey. (Submitted on November 18, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025
3. Hymes Taylor Marker
This marker is the next-to-last one before the sidewalk.
Chicago Daily News collection, Chicago History Museum, circa 1919
4. Black men crowd at 35th and State
This photo was taken very close to where this sidewalk marker is now located on 35th. The caption from the Chicago History Museum: "Crowd of African-American men standing on the sidewalks in front of a Walgreen Drugs at 3501 South State Street during a race riot in Chicago, Illinois, 1919. Police officers are standing at the forefront of the crowd."
Credits. This page was last revised on November 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 18, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 44 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 18, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 2, 3. submitted on November 17, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 4. submitted on November 18, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
