Stephen A. Douglas Tomb
The memorial is a 96-foot granite structure comprising three circular bases and a 20-foot diameter octagonal mausoleum which holds Douglas’ sarcophagus. Large bronze allegorical figures portraying “Illinois,” “History,” “Justice,” and “Eloquence” are positioned at the four main corners of the mausoleum. Four bas-reliefs in the panels of the main base depict the advance of American civilization. A ten-foot statue of the Douglas stands atop a 46 ft column of white marble from his native state, Vermont.
Douglas, best remembered for debating Abraham Lincoln over slavery, died from typhoid fever on June 3, 1861 in Chicago, where he was buried on the shore of Lake Michigan. Immediately after his death an association of notable Chicagoans was formed to oversee the construction of a suitable tomb and monument, but its members failed to raise sufficient funds. In 1865 the state of Illinois purchased the tomb from Douglas' widow, Adele Douglas, for $25,000. On June 3, 1868, Douglas' body was placed in the completed portion of the tomb. Leonard Volk, a relative of Douglas by marriage, designed the tomb and monument. In 1871 the Great Chicago Fire destroyed Volk's plans for the unfinished structure. The tomb was completed in May 1881, after an expense of $90,000.
The memorial was designated a Chicago Landmark on September 28, 1977. The tomb is maintained by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency as a state historic site.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Douglas_monument%2C_from_Robert_N._Dennis_collection_of_stereoscopic_views.png/220px-Douglas_monument%2C_from_Robert_N._Dennis_collection_of_stereoscopic_views.png)
Notes
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ "Stephen Douglas Monument Park". The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- ^ Theodore Hild. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form – Douglas Tomb State Memorial" (PDF). National Archives Catalog. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- ^ "Stephen A. Douglas Tomb". City of Chicago. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
- ^ "Illinois' Oldest Memorial: The Stephen A. Douglas Monument — J. Ill. S. H. S. 51:127‑148 (1958)". penelope.uchicago.edu. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
- ^ "Stephen Douglas Monument Park". www.douglashistory.co.uk. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
External links
Media related to Stephen A. Douglas Tomb at Wikimedia Commons