Tour Introduction

We invite you to explore our online Haymarket Tour. 

There are many lessons to be learned about the campaigns that were fought, the battles, and the memories that are revealed in these stories. Certainly it is not alone the history of the latter 19th century that we study, but the setbacks and victories that continue until today. For us and for many others around the world, this cemetery is sacred ground!

We invite you to look beyond the stereotypes of communists and anarchists...and to understand these important working class heroes—their drive for peace and justice, for strong and democratic unions, and the impact their struggles have had on our present-day society.

We welcome you to make use of these rich historic resources which provide students and family members a stepping-off point for endless discussions to be waged and research papers to be written on the history of Haymarket, the Palmer Raids, Spanish Civil War, House Un-American Activities Committee and other important historical events often left out of history books.

We welcome your feedback
The information and stories gathered here come from books, news clippings, archives, and written and oral remembrances. Errors and inaccuracies are inevitable, and in some cases the information at hand is inadequate. Can you help us? If you can fill in some gaps, please drop us a note and tell us what you know. Please email your corrections and comments to ILHS@prodigy.net.

We encourage you to contact the Illinois Labor History Society if you know of someone not included in this document. Please provide biographical information and your contact information. As additional burials and ashes scattered are identified, updates will appear in the online version.

Enjoy the tour online or we encourage you to visit Forest Park Cemetery.  You can also purchase a copy of the tour booklet at the Illinois Labor History Book Store here.

here are numerous references to the Communist Party USA, Young Communist League and the Industrial Workers of the World. Within this document we will use the acronyms CPUSA, YCL and IWW.

Enjoy your tour!

"No single event has influenced the history of labor in Illinois, the United States, and even the world, more than the Chicago Haymarket Affair. It began with a rally on May 4, 1886, but the consequences are still being felt today. Although the rally is included in American history textbooks, very few present the event accurately or point out its significance" William J. Adelman