Douglas (Bronzeville) in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Dr. Ida Gray Nelson Rollin

c. 1870-1953

— Bronzeville Walk of Fame —

Dr. Ida Gray Nelson Rollin Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 14, 2026

1. Dr. Ida Gray Nelson Rollin Marker

Inscription.
1st Black woman dentist, 1890

Erected 1996 by City of Chicago.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Science & Medicine • Women. In addition, it is included in the Bronzeville Walk of Fame series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.

Location. 41° 50.767′ N, 87° 37.029′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Douglas (Bronzeville). It is on South Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Drive north of East 26th Street, on the right when traveling north. 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.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in 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: "Butterbean and Susie" (within

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shouting distance of this marker); Nat “King” Cole (within shouting distance of this marker); John H. Johnson (within shouting distance of this marker); Katherine Dunham (within shouting distance of this marker); Carter G. Woodson (within shouting distance of this marker); Robert Motts (within shouting distance of this marker); Dr. Daniel Hale-Williams (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Monument to the Great Northern Migration (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. Roughly 100 Bronzeville Walk of Fame markers are found around the neighborhood along Martin Luther King Drive between 25th and 35th Streets.

Regarding Dr. Ida Gray Nelson Rollin. Most sources use the last name Rollins, which she took as her last name when she married her second husband. She was born Ida Gray in Tennessee and moved to Ohio as an infant when her mother died. She was admitted to the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in 1887, and became the first African American woman dentist when she graduated in 1890. In 1895, she married James Nelson and they moved to Chicago, where

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 14, 2026

2. Dr. Ida Gray Nelson Rollin Marker

The Monument to the Great Northern Migration is in the background, and behind that McCormick Place.

she established a new practice.

Also see . . . Women Who Inspire Us: Ida Gray Nelson Rollins. From Oregon Health & Science University.

Excerpt: "Rollins opened her own practice in Ohio, then later moved to Chicago with her husband and continued to practice there. She was vice president of the Professional Women's Club of Chicago and part of the Phyllis Wheatley Club, a group that maintained the only black women's shelter in Chicago."

(Submitted on August 15, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Courtesy of New York Public Library, 1900

3. Ida Gray

The photo, believed to date to 1900, when she was a successful dentist in Chicago, is part of the NY Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 9 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 15, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.