Wunder’s Cemetery

3963 North Clark Street

Chicago, Illinois 60613

MAY 10, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL:

LAUREL MCMAHON: 708-771-0532
VALERIE STODDEN: 773-525-4038

ON SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2009

RESIDENTS OF HISTORIC WUNDER’S CEMETERY WILL COME
TO LIFE AND SHARE THEIR STORIES OF LIFE IN CHICAGO

IN CELEBRATION OF IT’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY

HISTORIC WUNDER’S CEMETERY PRESENTS A
GUIDED WALKING TOUR OF THE CEMETERY

Founded in 1859, Wunder's Cemetery was originally known as First German Lutheran
Cemetery. In 1919 it was renamed Wunder's Cemetery Association after Heinrich Wunder,
pastor for over fifty years of First Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church. Wunder's Cemetery
was operated jointly with First Immanuel Lutheran Church until the 1980s when First Saint
Paul's became the sole trustee.

If you have ever visited the final resting place of Chicago’s founders and early “movers and
shakers,” Graceland Cemetery, you have probably passed by the diminutive Wunder’s Cemetery,
which is located just across Irving Park Road to the south. It is a small burial ground, just 15
acres, and it is the oldest Lutheran Cemetery in the Chicago area. Behind its fences lie a group
of people not here-to-fore featured on any tourist map or any “points of interest” list.

A guided walking tour of the cemetery will feature costumed characters representing residents of
Wunder’s Cemetery. They will bring Chicago history to life. Some of the fascinating characters
you will meet include:

• William and Anna Wieboldt – Founded the successful department store chain known
for good values, unpretentious merchandise and their multi-lingual staff. Wieboldt’s
catered to working class shoppers who could not afford, or did not like, the fancy
“downtown” stores. Hear about how department stores revolutionized the shopping
experience and impacted American culture.

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 • Charles F. Seyferlich – “Old Sy” Seyferlich was one of Chicago’s most colorful
firefighters. Over six feet tall, he towered over his co-workers. He became the Chicago
Fire Marshal when the 1906 stock yards fire took the life of Fire Marshall Horan and 24
of his men. Seyferlich presented the mayor with many ideas to prevent fires, and his ideas
led to the creation of the bureau of fire prevention.

• Frederick P. Dinkelberg – Had a long and successful career working for Daniel
Burnham, but his most famous design was New York City’s Flatiron Building. He
designed several well-known Chicago buildings, including the prominent statement of the
City Beautiful Movement, the Jeweler’s Building at 35 E. Wacker Drive. After suffering
severe losses during the Depression, he died penniless and is buried in a plot paid for by
the American Institute of Architects.

• Patricia Cherrington – A single mother with a child to support and serious health
problems, this talented dancer sought financial security and support from some of the
only men she knew with money – gangsters. Her poignant story offers some insights into
the glamorous and tragic lives of gangsters and their molls.

• George E. Manning, Sr. – Talented baseball star who played first, in the Negro League,
and then later in Chicago’s Industrial League. He is considered one of the architects who
helped combine the AFL with the CIO, and helped organize the “Freedom Train” from
Chicago to Washington DC for the March on Washington, where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King gave his “I have a Dream” speech.

• Heinrich Wunder –Missionary Lutheran minister sent to America’s “City by the Sea,”
Chicago, to provide spiritual support for the city’s burgeoning German population.

Wunder’s Cemetery
3963 North Clark Street (SE corner of Clark/Irving Park Rd.)
Chicago, Illinois 60613

Free parking available along Irving Park Road

Sunday, June 28, 2009

90-minute guided tours leave at 10-minute intervals beginning at 1:00 P.M. through 2:30 P.M.

Cost is $15 per person. Group rates by prearrangement, call 708-771-0532.

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