Burr Oak Cemetery is a cemetery located in

Alsip, Illinois Alsip is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,063 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Alsip was settled in the 1830s by German and Dutch farmers. The village is named after Frank Al ...

, United States, a suburb southwest of

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Established in 1927, Burr Oak was one of the few early Chicago cemeteries focused on the needs of the

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

community, it is the final resting place of many black celebrities, including

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of the first half of the twentieth cent ...

musicians, athletes, and other notables.

History

The origins of Burr Oak Cemetery date back to when Ellis Stewart, secretary of the black-owned Supreme Liberty Life Insurance company, joined with Earl B. Dickerson, a prominent Chicago lawyer, to develop a cemetery that would meet the needs of the burgeoning African-American population in Chicago, a demographic change brought about by the great migration of blacks from the South during the early decades of the 20th century. Stewart had located a possible site for the cemetery just outside the Chicago city limits near Alsip, Illinois. The owners of the land ultimately sold 40 acres for $50,000, $40,000 of which was loaned by the Roosevelt State Bank and the remainder raised by subscription. The new group was incorporated as the Burr Oak Cemetery Association, and a suitable corpse was found in the morgue to legally dedicate the cemetery. Unfortunately, the Alsip townsfolk did not approve of a black cemetery next to the village and, "with the assistance of armed police", drove the burial party away. The burial party eventually returned, however, with a deputy sheriff (courtesy of

Robert E. Crowe Robert Emmett Crowe (January 22, 1879 - January 18, 1958) was a Chicago lawyer and politician, who is best known as the prosecutor in the 1924 Leopold and Loeb murder case. He was 45 at the time and it would shape his career."Robert Crowe Servi ...

the Republican state's attorney) and was successfully able to legally dedicate Burr Oak. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, the Burr Oak Cemetery Association defaulted on the mortgage. Dickerson again stepped in to help arrange for the black-owned Supreme Liberty Life Insurance company to buy the mortgage at roughly 10 cents to the dollar. The re-constituted Chicago Burr Oak Cemetery Association eventually paid off the mortgage. Dickerson later said that "saving that cemetery was one of the great achievements as a lawyer".

2009 scandal

Incident

On July 11, 2009, Cook County Sheriff

Tom Dart Thomas J. Dart (born May 22, 1962) is an American attorney, politician, and law enforcement officer serving as the Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois. He previously served as a member of both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. Education ...

alleged that four workers at Burr Oak cemetery dug up more than 200 graves, dumped the bodies into unmarked mass graves, and resold the plots in a scheme that went back at least five years. The three men and one woman were charged with one count each of dismembering a human body and face up to 30 years in prison. Two men were convicted and sentenced to six and three year prison terms.

Investigation

Because of the investigation, the entire cemetery was declared a

crime scene A crime scene is any location that may be associated with a committed crime. Crime scenes contain physical evidence that is pertinent to a criminal investigation. This evidence is collected by crime scene investigators (CSI) and law enforcement ...

by the

Cook County Sheriff's Office The Cook County Sheriff's Office is the principal law enforcement agency that serves Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois. It is the second largest sheriff's department in the United States, with over 6,900 members when at full operationa ...

and temporarily closed to the public. The court-assigned receiver managing the cemetery had hoped to reopen it in September, but on October 13, 2009, visiting families found the cemetery still closed, with no statement on when it would reopen. The sheriff's office set up a searchable database with photographs of most headstones. The cemetery records were in great disarray, but the usable ones were computerized and turned over to the receiver for integration into the database. A study of the records indicated that between 140,190 and 147,568 people were buried at Burr Oak. However, the cemetery has space for a maximum of 130,000 graves, and some areas appear never to have been used for burials. After burials resumed in November 2009, some human remains were found in areas that no one knew had been used. On May 24, 2011, a federal judge approved a plan to place the cemetery into a trust that would use about $2.6 million of a $7 million insurance settlement to renovate and run the cemetery. The judge set aside at least $50,000 for a memorial to honor those whose graves were lost or desecrated. Those who can prove they buried relatives in the cemetery will receive $100 per grave. Those whose relatives' graves were destroyed may apply for more money.

Notable burials

* James Kokomo Arnold (1901–1968), Musician. *

Ezzard Charles Ezzard Mack Charles (July 7, 1921 – May 28, 1975), known as the Cincinnati Cobra, was an American professional boxer and World Heavyweight Champion. Known for his slick defense and precision, he is often considered the greatest light heavywei ...

(1921–1975), Boxer, world heavyweight boxing champion. * George "Sonny" Cohn (1925–2006), Musician, jazz trumpeter. *

Jimmie Crutchfield John "Jimmie" William Crutchfield (March 25, 1910 – April 1, 1993) was a professional baseball outfielder in Negro league baseball from 1930 to 1945. Career Crutchfield began his career with the Birmingham Black Barons in 1930 but the foll ...

(1910–1993), All-Star

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

player. * Earl B. Dickerson (1891–1986), a prominent attorney and community activist who successfully argued

Hansberry v. Lee __NOTOC__ ''Hansberry v. Lee'', 311 U.S. 32 (1940), is a famous and commonly-used case in civil procedure classes for teaching that ''res judicata'' does not apply to an individual whose interests were not adequately represented in a prior class ac ...

before the Supreme Court. Dickerson helped establish and preserve Burr Oak Cemetery. *

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

(1915–1992), musician and songwriter. *

Annie Malone Annie Minerva Turnbo Malone (August 9, 1869 – May 10, 1957) was an American businesswoman, inventor and philanthropist. She is considered to be one of the first African American women to become a millionaire. In the first three decades of t ...

an African-American businesswoman, inventor and philanthropist. She was one of the first African American women to become a millionaire. * John Donaldson (1892–1970), Baseball player, star pre-Negro league baseball pitcher and barnstormer businessman. *Jodie Edwards (1895–1967), Comedian, member of the comedy duo

Butterbeans and Susie Butterbeans and Susie were an American comedy duo comprising Jodie Edwards (July 19, 1893 – October 28, 1967) and Susie Edwards (née Hawthorne; December 1894 – December 5, 1963). They married in 1917, and performed together until the ...

. *

Blind Leroy Garnett Leroy Roscoe Garnett, known professionally as Blind Leroy Garnett (August 6, 1897 – January 3, 1933) was an American boogie-woogie and ragtime pianist and songwriter. His two solo recorded compositions were "Louisiana Glide" and "Chain 'Em Down ...

(1897–1933), Musician, boogie-woogie and ragtime pianist and songwriter. *

Noble Drew Ali Timothy Drew, better known as Noble Drew Ali (January 8, 1886 – July 20, 1929) founded the Moorish Science Temple of America. Considered a prophet by his followers, in 1913 he founded the Canaanite Temple in Newark, New Jersey, before re ...

(1886–1929), founder of the

Moorish Science Temple of America The Moorish Science Temple of America is an American national and religious organization founded by Noble Drew Ali (born as Timothy Drew) in the early twentieth century. He based it on the premise that African Americans are descendants of the M ...

. *

Carl Augustus Hansberry Carl Augustus Hansberry (April 30, 1895 – March 17, 1946) was an American real estate broker and political activist, and was plaintiff in the 1940 Supreme Court decision ''Hansberry v. Lee''. He was also the father of award-winning playwright Lor ...

(1895–1946), businessman and political activist, father of playwright

Lorraine Hansberry Lorraine Vivian Hansberry (May 19, 1930 – January 12, 1965) was a playwright and writer. She was the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway. Her best-known work, the play ''A Raisin in the Sun'', highlig ...

. *

Big Walter Horton Walter Horton (April 6, 1921 – December 8, 1981), known as Big Walter (Horton) or Walter 'Shakey' Horton, was an American blues harmonica player. A quiet, unassuming, shy man, he is remembered as one of the premier harmonica players in the hi ...

(1921–1981), American musician, blues harmonica player. *Inman Jackson (1907–1973), basketball player, player with the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...

. *

Roberta Martin Roberta Evelyn Martin (February 12, 1907 – January 18, 1969) was an American gospel composer, singer, pianist, arranger and choral organizer, helped launch the careers of many other gospel artists through her group, The Roberta Martin Singers. ...

(1907–1969), Gospel music singer, pianist, composer and founder of

The Roberta Martin Singers The Roberta Martin Singers were an American gospel group based in the United States. History Founding The group was founded in 1933 by Roberta Martin, who in that same year had just become acquainted with gospels music, which was different from ...

. *

St. Louis Jimmy Oden James Burke "St. Louis Jimmy" Oden (June 26, 1903 – December 30, 1977) was an American blues singer and songwriter. Biography Oden was born in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. His parents were Henry Oden, a dancer, and Leana West, ...

(1903–1977), American blues vocalist and songwriter ("Goin' Down *

Graham T. Perry Graham Turner Perry (April 22, 1894 – September 9, 1960) was an African-American attorney who served as assistant attorney general for the State of Illinois. He is also the father of stage director Shauneille Perry and uncle of playwright ...

(1900–1960), Politician, one of the first African-Americans to serve as assistant attorney general for the State of Illinois, father of director

Shauneille Perry Shauneille Gantt Perry Ryder (July 26, 1929 – June 9, 2022) was an American stage director and playwright. She was one of the first African-American women to direct off-Broadway. Biography Shauneille Perry was born on July 26, 1929, in Chicag ...

and uncle of playwright

. *

Otis Spann Otis Spann (March 21, 1924 or 1930April 24, 1970) was an American blues musician, whom many consider to be the leading postwar Chicago blues pianist. Early life Sources differ over Spann's early years. Some state that he was born in Jackson, Miss ...

(1930–1970), musician, blues pianist. * James A. "Candy Jim" Taylor (1884–1948), Negro league baseball player and manager. * Mamie Till-Mobley (1921-2003) Activist, educator and mother of

Emmett Till Emmett Louis Till (July 25, 1941August 28, 1955) was a 14-year-old African American boy who was abducted, tortured, and lynched in Mississippi in 1955, after being accused of offending a white woman, Carolyn Bryant, in her family's grocery ...

(1941–1955), Chicago teenager murder victim whose death helped galvanize the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. * Ted "High-pockets" Trent (1903–1944), Negro league baseball player,

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. *

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

(1924–1963), singer, known as the "Queen of the Blues". * LeRoy Whitfield (1969 – 2005), one of the nation’s leading journalists reporting on AIDS among African-Americans. * Billy Williams (1910–1972), African–American singer. *

J. Mayo Williams Jay Mayo "Ink" Williams (September 25, 1894 – January 2, 1980) was a pioneering African-American producer of recorded blues music. Some historians have claimed that Ink Williams earned his nickname by his ability to get the signatures of t ...

(1894–1980), Early blues and jazz record producer and one of the first African-American players in the NFL. * Frank Reed (1954–2014), lead singer of

The Chi-Lites The Chi-Lites (, ) are an American R&B/soul vocal quartet from Chicago, Illinois, United States. Forming at Chicago's Hyde Park High School in 1959, The group's original lineup consisted of singers Robert Lester, Eugene Record, Creadel Jones, ...

. *Rev. Dr. Clay Evans (1925-2019), Baptist Pastor & Civil Rights Leader *

Harold Bradley Sr. Harold "Hal" Willard Bradley Sr. (September 27, 1905 – November 30, 1973) was an American football player for the Chicago Cardinals in 1928. Bradley was one of only 13 African-Americans to play in the National Football League prior to World Wa ...

(1905-1973), One of the first African-American players in the NFL. *

Tiny Topsy Otha Lee Moore (May 22, 1930 – August 16, 1964), better known as Tiny Topsy, was an American R&B singer. The music journalist, Mark Lamarr, noted "Tiny in the same spirit you'd call a bald man curly, Tiny Topsy definitely had the lungpower to ...

(1930-1964)- R&B Singer *

Barbara Acklin Barbara Jean Acklin (February 28, 1943 – November 27, 1998) was an American soul singer and songwriter, who was most successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her biggest hit as a singer was "Love Makes a Woman" (1968). As a songwriter, she is best ...

(1943-1998)- Soul Singer and Songwriter

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official Burr Oak Cemetery site
Cemeteries in Illinois Cemeteries in Cook County, Illinois Funeral scandals 1927 establishments in Illinois