Calvary Cemetery Past and Present

Calvary Cemetery, Evanston, Illinois was consecrated in 1859.  It is located at the northern boundary of Chicago and Lake Michigan.  Many individuals who had been interred in the Catholic section of the City Cemetery in Chicago were reinterred here when the City Cemetery, located at North and Clark, was closed.

Initially, Calvary had a lagoon, which can be seen in the first photo above.  Eventually, this was filled in to create a shrine section.  Also, the main road which runs from Sheridan Road to Chicago Avenue, was flanked with Elm trees which were planted when the Cemetery opened.  A hundred years later, in the 1960s, when Dutch Elm disease struck, they were cut down.  A view of the original tree lined lane is seen above.

Patrick and Bessie (Thompson) Madigan are buried here as are three of their children, James, Thomas and Harry (Patrick).  Also buried her are many members of the Sullivan and Connor families.   For information on these families see Connor/Colfour Genealogy and Sullivan/Connor Genealogy blogs.


Today's main entrance of Calvary Cemetery is off of Chicago Avenue.  Currently there are no new graves available.

Old photos courtesy Calvary Cemetery.   Front gate photo, Elaine Beaudoin, 2010.