For our 34th Annual Tales Tombstones Tell the West Chicago City Museum is celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Incorporation of our community as the Town of Turner. In 1873 formal incorporation papers were filed that created our Village of Turner, which in 1896 would become the Village of West Chicago.

Join the City Museum and our wonderful volunteer cemetery walk interpreters that will tell the story of those who lived through the historic early years of the community. Stories that will be featured include: John B. Turner, the man who created the railroad junction that would become West Chicago, Salome Wurtz whose husband ran the successful Turner Co-operative Creamer, Charles Clark who presented the petition for the incorporation of the Village of Turner in 1873, Nicholas Reuter the child of German immigrant parents, Clara Haffey Church the wife of the first President of the Village of Turner, Sutter Conley whose husband served on the board of the Oakwood Cemetery, and Adelaide Evenden who was in the first graduating class from Turner School in 1878.

Tours leave from the Cemetery entrance at Garden Street starting at 6:30pm and every 10 minutes after, with the last group stepping off at 7:30pm. Those waiting to enter the cemetery will be entertained by the music of Roger Kotecki. The event is free and open to all, donations are appreciated.

Come join us for this impactful evening stroll, with lanterns and luminaries lighting the path through West Chicago’s oldest cemetery. For more information please call the Museum at (630) 231-3376 or email us at museum@westchicago.org.