Burr Oak Cemetery, Illinois, United States
5.0 (1 review) Spent Ranking #2 in Alsip Cemeteries
Where Emmett Till is buried
There are more famous cemeteries in the Chicago area. Graceland, Rosehill, Oak Woods, Bohemian National Cemetery and Mount Olivet come to mind. But Burr Oak Cemetery has a history all its own. Established in 1927 as one of the few early Chicago cemeteries that focused on the needs of the African-American community, it is the final resting place of many black celebrities, including Chicago blues musicians and athletes. While its listed address is 4400 West 123rd Street in southwest suburban Alsip, its main entrance is at West 127th Street at Kostner Avenue, east of Cicero Avenue. My wife and I have driven past Burr Oak Cemetery for years. It is en route to my sister's house in Palos Heights and it is near Oak Hill Cemetery, where my parents and grandparents and my wife's parents are buried. Out of curiosity, we visited Burr Oak recently to see the gravesites of some of its most notable burials, including singer Dinah Washington, boxing champion Ezzard Charles and, perhaps most famous of all, Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Chicagoan whose murder in Mississippi in 1955 helped galvanize the civil rights movement in this country. Others include attorney and community activist Earl B. Dickerson, who helped establish and preserve Burr Oak Cemetery, jazz musician Willie Dixon, Harlem Globetrotters basketball star Inman Jackson, World War II Marine Corps general Lyle H. Miller, singer Billy Williams, civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Clay Evans and businesswoman Annie Malone, one of the first African-American women to become a millionaire.
Address
4400 W 123rd St 127th And Kostner, Alsip, IL 60803-2428
Mobile
Current local date and time now
Monday, May 13, 2024, 4:31
User Ratings
5.0 based on (1 review)
