Joliet in Will County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Capt. William E. Harwood, M.D.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 27, 2026
1. Capt. William E. Harwood, M.D. Marker
Died Jan 4, 1918 France
This tree was planted Nov 11, 1928 by Daughters of the American Revolution Louis Joliet Chapter
Erected 1928 by Daughters of the American Revolution Louis Joliet Chapter.
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Science & Medicine • War, World I.
Location. 41° 31.479′ N, 88° 4.919′ W. Memorial is in Joliet, Illinois, in Will County. It is on Jefferson Street west of Chicago Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker is a short distance from the Will County Civil War memorial. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 14 West Jefferson Street, Joliet IL 60432, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial 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 territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Civil War Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Illinois Sesquicentennial Time Capsule (a few steps from this marker); Will County Civil War Memorial (a few steps from this marker); World War I Memorial Trees (a few steps from this marker); Samuel Benedict Reed (a few steps from this marker); Will County Courthouse
this page online
More about this memorial. The marker is embedded into a crushed-stone base just above another marker, erected in honor of Dorrance Dibell, a judge on Will County's circuit court who died in 1922.
It is not known exactly where these two plaques were originally located. Based on photographs of the area as well as Google Maps Street View images, they seem to have been placed in this location sometime after Will County's courthouse was torn down in 2024.
Regarding Capt. William E. Harwood, M.D.. William Elvis Harwood was born in Joliet in 1858, the son of Elvis Harwood, a doctor who practiced in Joliet and served as the city's mayor from 1867 to 1869. Harwood attended Northwestern University and later, like his father, Rush Medical College in Chicago, before moving to Minnesota to work as a surgeon. Harwood was close to 60 years old when he volunteered for World War I in 1917. According to a January 1918 Chicago Tribune article about his death, Harwood was
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 27, 2026
2. Capt. William E. Harwood, M.D. Marker near Will County's Civil War memorial
Courtesy of Chicago History Museum (ICHi-172074), circa 1917
3. William Elvis Harwood (1858-1918)
Harwood's photo is preserved by the Chicago History Museum's file of photographs of Chicago-area men who died in World War I.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 27, 2026
4. Capt. William E. Harwood, M.D. Marker
The marker is embedded into a crushed-stone base above another marker honoring former Will County judge Dorrance Dibell.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 27, 2026
5. Capt. William E. Harwood, M.D. Marker
The new Will County Courthouse, opened in 2020, is a half-block away in the distance. The grass field in the background was the site of previous courthouse.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 28, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 28, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
