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The Ropes: The Couch Mausoleum

Aug17
by Shannon on 17 August 2011 at 1:10 am
Posted In: blog, trivia

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Wighthouse called The Ropes, as in “know ’em”! As I do research for the comic, I sometimes come across interesting bits of trivia that I’d like to share with my readers. For example, did you know…

…Chicago’s Lincoln Park used to be the city cemetery, but it’s only got one tomb left?

Couch Tomb in Lincoln Park
Photo by nsub1 via Flickr

Today, Lincoln Park alongside Lake Michigan is known for its rolling greenery, its numerous bike trails, and its upscale inhabitants. But underneath it all, Chicago once buried its dead. In 1843, City Cemetery began accepting burials between North Ave., Clark St., Wisconsin St., and the lake. It contained a Jewish cemetery, as well as a potter’s field where 4,000 Confederate soldiers met their end after enduring Camp Douglas.

Being the only public cemetery within city limits, space filled up fast. With crowding came ramshackle maintenance and a concern for public health, as cholera outbreaks were common at the time. In 1857, a plotholder in City Cemetery, Ira Couch, died while on vacation in Cuba. A grand tomb costing $7,000 (nothing to sneeze at back then) was erected in 1858, even as demands came from the people to turn the cemetery into a park.

A year later, Rosehill Cemetery opened, followed a year after that by Graceland Cemetery. Both graveyards were miles from Chicago, far away from the populace. People began moving their families from the flailing City Cemetery into its more spacious, rural counterparts up north. By 1866, burials had ceased entirely; disinterments went on until 1895, until Lincoln Park’s transformation was complete…except for the lonely Couch tomb.

Why does the Couch mausoleum remain in Lincoln Park? A monument to the past? A bold piece of funerary art? Nope; no one wanted to put up the scratch to move it to the family’s plot in Rosehill. (Oddly enough, Ira is listed on the “new” family grave marker.) Instead of paying the ~$3,000 to have it removed, the Lincoln Park Commissioners planted a bunch of trees around it and tried to forget it existed. And as so often happens, the tomb gained its own notoriety, prompting passersby to wonder just what the heck that thing’s doing there. Now you know! (Presumably.)

Some other tidbits about the old cemetery:

  • The Chicago Fire rampaged through it in 1871, supposedly burning many wooden markers and rendering gravesites lost. This has led to bones being dug up during area excavations.
  • An even older cemetery, from before Chicago’s incoporation, resided south of Lincoln Park, between Chicago and Oak Streets. You may recognize this location as the home of Water Tower Place and the John Hancock Tower.
  • No one knows for sure just who is buried in the Couch mausoleum. Record keeping tended to be spotty at best. The tablets flanking the vault’s door seem to have never been inscribed. According to various accounts, as many as 13 and as few as zero could be enshrined.

Source: the extremely thorough Hidden Truths website by Pamela Bannos, with much research and ephemera relating to Lincoln Park’s conversion. Check it out!

Join us next week when we take to the ocean depths!

└ Tags: chicago, city cemetery, couch, lincoln park, mausoleum, the ropes, tomb
1 Comment

Friday doodle

Aug12
by Shannon on 12 August 2011 at 6:24 am
Posted In: blog

Goofing around with color. Cuz if anything says color, it’s goths.

└ Tags: color, doodle, goths
 Comment 

The Ropes: Gojira

Aug09
by Shannon on 9 August 2011 at 2:32 am
Posted In: blog, trivia

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Wighthouse called The Ropes, as in “know ’em”! As I do research for the comic, I sometimes come across interesting bits of trivia that I’d like to share with my readers. For example, did you know…

…the connection between lighthouses and Godzilla?

Godzilla vs. lighthouse

As it happens, 1954’s pioneering Gojira was based partly on 1933’s infamous monster movie King Kong, and partly on a 1953 movie called The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Beast itself was (loosely) based on a short story by none other than Ray Bradbury.

Originally titled “The Fog Horn,” Bradbury’s story painted a picture of two lighthouse keepers, the younger itching to get back to land after three months on the job. The elder keeper related a tale of a hideous aquatic beast that rises from the waters once a year to answer the fog horn’s call. Unfortunately for the youth, that visit would come between now and tomorrow’s shore leave, with disastrous results.

One moment in Beast was particularly impactful, that of the creature coming face to face with its mimic, as shown above. That creature would go on to inform Gorija and, by extension, giant monster movies all down the line. But the original has its own special place in canon, inspiring Replica Co. Ltd to have a go at a more traditional remake of Bradbury’s yarn. Due to copyright problems it may never get released, but you can still enjoy the trailer and possibly lobby for an online release. I love the sketchy animation at the beginning, but could do without the song. You can also read “The Fog Horn” in its entirety here.

Source: New Daikaiju Appears Through a Fog of Obscurity

Join us next week when we explore a rather unusual Chicago burial place!

└ Tags: beast from 20000 fathoms, daikaiju, godzilla, gojira, lighthouse, ray bradbury, the fog horn, the ropes
 Comment 

On the hunt for ghost hunters!

Jul19
by Shannon on 19 July 2011 at 12:28 pm
Posted In: blog

Ah, midsummer…when a young woman’s fancy strays to thoughts of ghosts. Okay, maybe it’s just me. :P

Strange as it seems, as fascinated as I am by ghosts and paranormal investigation, I’ve never been on a ghost-hunting tour or joined up with any local investigative outfits. Truth be told, I’m a little wary. Of course I like to get the biggest bang for my buck, not only fright-wise, but with solid research and proper respect. But when I missed a LivingSocial deal on a ghost-hunting tour in Naperville, I thought to myself: why aren’t I out there, mixing it up amongst the supernatural?

So I turn to you, dear readers. Do you know of any decent paranormal investigation societies in the Chicago region? Or, alternately, what are the best ghost tours around the city? Ideally I stay away from “kiddie” or “too much drama” stuff, though a dark sense of humor is right up my alley. Spill your guts in the comments!

└ Tags: ghost hunting, ghost tours, paranormal investigation
4 Comments

Buyers’ market!

Jul12
by Shannon on 12 July 2011 at 12:03 pm
Posted In: blog

My friend Marc brought this article to my attention: three Midwest lighthouses up for auction (the CHL not being among them, unfortunately), with 12 others being given away to qualified agencies. Yes, they actually do this.

If you have always wanted the tallest house in your neighborhood, here’s your chance.

The federal government is auctioning off three decommissioned lighthouses, and the bids are still pretty low.

At last, the dream can be yours! Just be aware of the crippling loneliness, the difficulties in getting back to land, the massive remodeling, the upkeep that goes with landmark structures…and in the case of Race Rock Light (possibly more), the spectral housemates. But then, I wouldn’t know anything about that…

└ Tags: auction, lighthouse, own your own
1 Comment
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