About this Event
Historically, most of the biggest, most impressive monuments in American cemeteries have been built by brewers, lumber merchants, steel barons, and real estate moguls. But there are far more stories at Graceland than just those movers and shakers. Some of those industrialists and politicians had daughters who set the city on fire with their scandalous novels, or wives who were attacked as "intolerant abolitionists" by anti-Lincoln newspapers. There are fugitive enslaved people, underground railroad workers, Black pioneers, members of the early LGBTQ community, artists, flappers, radicals, and many more. Some of the most incredible stories are in unmarked graves!
Adam Selzer is the author of Mysterious Chicago, HH: Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil, and many other Chicago history books. He has been running Graceland tours for years, and his new book on Graceland is out now from University of Illinois Press (you can buy a copy to be delivered at the tour by selecting the "ticket + book" ticket!) His virtual tours continue to log thousands of viewers per week. This tour will be a part of Mystericon 2022, so if you've been on the virtual tours, you're sure to see some familiar people from the chats!
Each tour is a little different, but almost all of our Graceland routes include the famous Inez and "Eternal Silence" statues - with some newly discovered data that you can hear on this tour before the book is released! Join us for a 75-90 minute walk through American history!
What You Need to Know:
- Meet a bit before 1pm just inside the gates (at N. Clark and W. Irving Park.) You'll see Adam with his headset mic.
- Tour runs rain or shine! It may be chilly, so bundle up.
- The cemetery is near the red line, the 22 Clark bus, and the Irving Park bus. Keep in mind that there IS a Cubs game this afternoon!
- Parking is usually available in the cemetery. Public transit is often a safer option when there's a Cubs game, as there is this afternoon.
- Bathrooms are available before and after the tour. Like most cemeteries, there are no facilities mid-tour.
- The walk covers about 1.5 miles over the course of 75-90 min. Some of the walking veers off the paved paths. You'll get about 3k steps!
- The tour is in the safe outdoors, but we -strongly- request that patrons be fully vaxxed against Covid 19 (really, we hope you have -all- your shots!). If you have questions about the vaccines, the Mayo Clinic has an excellent page to answer them. The vaccines are the reason we can do in-person events at all.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Graceland Cemetery, 4001 North Clark Street, Chicago, United States
USD 20.00 to USD 40.00