Celebrating Memorial Day at Chicago's Cemeteries

A Guide to Remembrance, Reflection, and Community Events Across the City.

May 25, 2025

A Brief History of Decoration Day in Chicago Cemeteries

Memorial Day began as Decoration Day after the Civil War, a conflict that claimed more American lives than any other and led to the establishment of the country's first national cemeteries. In the late 1860s, communities across the U.S. began holding springtime tributes to fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and flags.

The first widely recognized observance was May 30, 1868, organized by the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union veterans’ group, at Arlington National Cemetery. On that day, flowers were placed on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers.

Post-Civil War observances in Chicago began as early as the 1860s, particularly at cemeteries like Rosehill, Oak Woods, Graceland, and Waldheim (now part of Forest Home Cemetery), which were among the primary burial places for Civil War veterans. Parades, laying of flowers and flags on graves, and otherwise gathering at the cemeteries was the thing to do on Memorial Day.

At Graceland Cemetery, flowers were laid on graves of veterans. The large lot of Allan Pinkerton, head of the Union Intelligence Service during the war and later most well known for his detective agency, is noted as having been well-adorned with flowers.

Decoration Day at Graceland Cemetery’s Chapel, 1911.

Notably, Rosehill Cemetery holds one of the largest collections of Union soldier graves in the Midwest while the “Rosehill of the South Side”, Oak Woods Cemetery, became a major site for commemorations related to Confederate POWs who died at Camp Douglas. Oak Woods later for Black veterans, including those from the United States Colored Troops (USCT). In time, Decoration Day services here also reflected broader efforts to include the memory of African American soldiers.

At both Rosehill and Oak Woods Cemeteries, Decoration Day quickly became a major civic event which is still celebrated today through various festivities and traditions.

Decoration Day at Rosehill Cemetery. Top left photo from 1917. All others from 1911.

*Decoration Day, 1927. A Civil War veteran salutes with a Boy Scout and a soldier at a gravesite in Oak Woods Cemetery (source)*

To the west at Bohemian National Cemetery, streetcars crowded the nearby streets ahead of the parades organized by various benevolent societies (source).

Note regarding the success of the Decoration Day proceedings at Bohemian National Cemetery, 1911. (source)

Chicago newspapers up through the 1900’s documented crowds in the thousands gathering for Decoration Day events. Cemeteries were decorated with wreaths and flags, and some families picnicked or held reunions, a practice that blurred the line between solemn remembrance and social gathering.

To bring renewed interest in visiting cemeteries on Memorial Day, we can reconnect people to the holiday’s original spirit—gathering in cemeteries to honor the dead, reflect, and build community. Cemeteries can and should be reframed as peaceful public spaces—rich with nature, art, and architecture—offering a meaningful alternative to crowded holiday activities.

Thankfully, many of Chicago’s beautiful cemeteries are holding various celebrations and observances this Memorial Day. Read on to see which of your local burial grounds are waiting fr you to enjoy the festivities this year!