Showmen’s Rest
Did you know that just a short drive from Chicago lies one of the most unique resting places in all of America? Showmen’s Rest is a special 750-plot section of Woodlawn Cemetery, owned by the Showmen’s League of America, and it serves as the final curtain call for many circus performers and entertainers. It was established in 1917, just a year before a devastating train wreck on June 22, 1918 claimed the lives of several dozen members of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. The section is marked by five stone elephants with their trunks lowered in mourning – a quiet reminder of the wonder and joy of the circus. These special places like Showmen’s Rest remind us of the extraordinary ways people touch the world. Have you ever visited?
