Readers of this blog know how much I love Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago - and especially its beautiful mausoleum designed by Sidney Lovell:
Back on April 8, 2016 I wrote an article for this blog entitled Rosehill the Beautiful - 1908.
For that article I scanned from my collection the booklet about Rosehill that the cemetery published in 1908 full of beautiful pictures of the cemetery. In 1908 the mausoleum had not been built yet.
I am not getting any younger so I decided it was time for me to think about where my remains would end up, and I decided that there was no better place for me than in the mausoleum I love so much. So I am now the proud owner of Niche #5 of the Hennig Chapel Unit in the Rosehill Mausoleum. Here's a photo:
My niche is in the top row on the far right side, outlined in black in the photo above. You will note that it is right above the plaque honoring Elmer F. Hennig and right outside the door of the Hennig Memorial Chapel. An appropriate spot considering my admiration for Mr. Hennig.
I would, of course, have preferred a niche in one of the older sections of the mausoleum, but they have all been sold. The Hennig Chapel niches are fairly new, so I had many niches to choose from.
In honor of my purchase I have decided to share another piece from my Rosehill collection with you. This is another booklet entitled Rosehill the Beautiful. This one was published in 1924 and prominently features the mausoleum. Here for your enjoyment is Rosehill the Beautiful - 1924:
It is interesting to read how the Rosehill Cemetery Company thought the cemetery got its name (see page 3). No mention of Hiram Roe or any transcription error in the City Clerk's office. According to them (which was the story I always heard) Rosehill got its name from "the masses of wild roses that clustered about the wooded slopes of the hill." Wild roses grow in profusion in the Chicago area. I have wild rose bushes growing in my own yard (but no Hiram Roe.)
I am pleased to say that I have noted significant improvement in recent trips to Rosehill. There is a new manager at the cemetery and he has made the office much more people-friendly. They will gladly look up a grave location for you now - at no charge.
Rosehill will probably never again reach the heights it knew during Elmer Hennig's tenure, but I am pleased to see that they are back on the right track.
Hopefully my niche will not be occupied for some time to come, but it's always better to be prepared. As they say, "Hope for the best, plan for the worst."
A fascinating question not many wish to ponder, at least I haven't. In this vein, I ran across an interesting grave for Matt Lamb. As a well known funeral director, turned internationally recognized artist, it seems he put a lot of thought into his final resting place. The St. James at Sag Bridge Church Cemetery is one of the oldest in the Chicago area, with a scenic view in winter. St. James Cemetery is regularly visited by Find A Grave members looking to create new memorials for that cemetery, all the older graves having memorials created years ago. It sat there for years unnoticed. No wonder, the design of his grave stone looks to be 100 years old and is seamlessly integrated among the surrounding graves.
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