Showmen's Rest was added to Your Favorites!
Riverside, Illinois
Claim this place to tell your story your way.
Showmen's Rest in Riverside, Illinois, is a section of the Woodlawn Cemetery reserved for circus performers, marked by elephant statues to honor those who lost their lives in a tragic train accident in 1918.
The cemetery was established after a devastating train wreck in Indiana in 1918, which killed 86 members of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, many of whom are buried there.
The elephant statues symbolize the circus and serve as a tribute to the performers buried there, many of whom were part of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus.
Many of the graves are marked with simple inscriptions like 'Unknown Male' or 'Baldy,' reflecting the difficulty in identifying victims of the 1918 train accident.
The headstones are adorned with circus motifs, such as carved elephants and big tops, reflecting the profession of those interred.
The cemetery continues to serve as a resting place for circus performers, maintaining its historical connection to the circus community.
The Showmen's League of America, an organization founded by Buffalo Bill Cody, purchased the plot to ensure circus performers had a dignified resting place.
Showmen's Rest is a section within Woodlawn Cemetery, which is one of the largest cemeteries in the Chicago area, encompassing over 300 acres.
