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

Legion Park

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 18, 2026

1. Legion Park Marker

Inscription. Legion Park was developed by Lemont Park District in 1997 in memory of three men killed and twenty-five men wounded here on May 4, 1885. State militia opened fire on striking quarry workers for failure to disperse and return to work by order of Governor Oglesby.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Labor Unions • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical date for this entry is May 4, 1885.

Location. 41° 40.399′ N, 88° 0.192′ W. Marker is in Lemont, Illinois, in Cook County. It is at the intersection of New Avenue and Lockport Street, on the right when traveling east on New Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lemont IL 60439, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago.

It is also 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

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8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lemont Civil War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Lemont Station (within shouting distance of this marker); Korean War Memorial (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); World War Two Honor Roll (about 800 feet away); Lemont Veterans Memorial (about 800 feet away); Civil War Recruiting Depot (approx. 0.2 miles away); Old Stone Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lemont Tornado of 1976 (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lemont.

Also see . . .
1. The History of Lemont. From the Village of Lemont website.

Excerpt: "The quarry industry, like the canal before, attracted more immigrant groups, mainly from southern and south central Europe: Poland, Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Italy. Work was hard and the pay low. Lemont made pages of labor history with the struggles between the quarry workers and the owners. In 1885, the Illinois Militia was ordered to Lemont to break a strike. Three people were killed and scores injured. In 1893, Governor Altgeld came to Lemont personally to mediate a strike after a fight
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 18, 2026

2. Legion Park
between Sanitary Ship Canal contractors and quarry workers led to three more deaths."

(Submitted on March 19, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. ‘War! The Lemont Massacre’ by Albert R. Parsons from The Alarm. Labor leader Albert R. Parsons wrote about the Lemont quarrymen's strike in 1885, and the ensuing violence. Parsons was arrested almost exactly a year later after the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago on May 4, 1886, and after a long trial he was hanged in 1887.

Excerpt: "The Alarm was an important paper at a momentous moment in the history of the US and international workers’ movement. The Alarm was the paper of the International Working People’s Association produced weekly in Chicago and edited by Albert Parsons. The IWPA was formed by anarchists and social revolutionists who left the Socialist Labor Party in 1883 led by Johann Most who had recently arrived in the States."

(Submitted on March 19, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Legion Park Marker and Gazebo image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 18, 2026

3. Legion Park Marker and Gazebo

Credits. This page was last revised on March 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 19, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 16 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 19, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.