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Title
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Mary "Mother Harris Jones, Grave and Memorial
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Biographical Text
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80 ton, 22 foot high Minnesota pink granite obelisk atop a stone platform. The obelisk is flanked by a pair of bronze miners. Attached to the bottom of the base are several plaques speaking of deaths of miners. At the top of the base are four plaques describing the miner labor movement. At the top is a bronze plaque with a portrait of Jones.
After Jones’ death, miners across the country donated to create a suitable grave and memorial for the labor activist. The memorial site was dug by the miners themselves. Miners who were killed in the 1898 Virden riot and other labor activism riots and protests were reinterred and buried here.
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Text
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[Top of Obelisk]
MOTHER JONES
[Front Upper Base]
WE COUNT IT DEATH TO FALTER, NOT TO DIE
ERECTED AND DEDICATED OCTOBER 12, 1936, IN HONOR AND TO THE EVER-
LASTING MEMORY OF MARY “MOTHER” JONES, “GENERAL” ALEXANDER BRADLEY AND THE MARTYRS OF THE VIRDEN RIOT OF 1898, BY THE MEMBERS OF
THE PROGRESSIVE MINERS OF AMERICA AND THE WOMEN’S AUXILIARY OF
THE PROGRESSIVE MINERS OF AMERICA, ASSISTED BY MANY LOCAL AND DEVOUT
FRIENDS, SYMPATHIZERS, AND LABOR AND FRATERNAL ORGANIZERS.
MARY “MOTHER” JONES
WHEN THE SUN, IN ALL HIS STATE SLEEP THE SLEEP OF THE NOBLE BLEST
ILLUMED THE EASTERN SKIES FOR IN LIFE YOU SACRIFICED AND GAVE
SHE PASSED THROUGH GLORY’S MORNING GATE WE PLEDGE TO FILL YOUR LAST REQUEST
AND WALKED IN PARADISE “LET NO TRAITOR BREATHE O’ER MY GRAVE”
[Side Upper Base]
MARTYRS
OF THE
PROGRESSIVE MINERS OF AMERICA
THE FOLLOWING HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES
TO THE CAUSE OF CLEAN UNIONISM IN AMERICA
WILLIAM CHANEY, KILLED AT CHRISTOPHER, ILLINOIS, AUGUST 25, 1933
MELVIN STAPLES, KILLED AT SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, OCTOBER 19, 1933
CLYDE WILLIAMS, KILLED AT GALATIA, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 9, 1933
SAMUEL RONCHETTI, KILLED AT KINCAID, ILLINOIS, APRIL 21, 1934
HARRY JONES, KILLED AT BULPITT, ILLINOIS, SEPTEMBER 10, 1934
JOE SIGLER, KILLED AT BULPITT, ILL. SHOT SEPT. 10 DIED SEPT. 14, 1934
HARRY NEWKIRK, KILLED AT HARRISBURG, ILL. SHOT SEPT. 29, DIED SEPT. 30, 1934
JOHN SEARS, KILLED AT HARRISBURG, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 8, 1934
EDRIS MABIE, KILLED AT SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, APRIL 21, 1935
FRED G. GRAMLICH SR., KILLED AT SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, MAY 27, 1936
[Side of Upper Base]
MARTYRS
OF THE
PROGRESSIVE MINERS OF AMERICA
THE FOLLOWING HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES
TO THE CAUSE OF CLEAN UNIONISM IN AMERICA
JOE COLBERT, KILLED AT ORIENT, ILLINOIS, AUGUST 17, 1932
DOMINIC LAURENTI, KILLED AT ZEIGLER, ILLINOIS, AUGUST 21, 1932
ANDREW GYENES, KILLED AT TOVEY, ILLINOIS, OCTOBER 13, 1932
EMMA CUMERLATO, KILLED AT KINCAID, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 3, 1933
JOHN WARD, KILLED AT WEST FRANKFORT, ILLINOIS, MARCH 27, 1933
HENRY ARNOLD, KILLED AT DU QUOIN, ILLINOIS, APRIL 7, 1933
JAMES ATTES, KILLED AT DU QUOIN, ILLINOIS, APRIL 7, 1933
TOM URBAN, KILLED AT SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, JUNE 7, 1933
GUS CALLAS, KILLED AT WEST FRANKFORT, ILLINOIS, AUGUST 6, 1933
JOHN HILTROP, JR., KILLED AT LONDON MILLS, ILL., AUGUST 11, 1933
[Plaques on base of monument from left to right]
JOSEPH GITTERLE
DIED IN THE VIRDEN MASSACRE OCTOBER 12, 1898
“LIFE TO HIM WAS SWEET AND FAIR AS THE AUTUMN SKY
BUT DUTY CALLED AND, BRAVELY, ,HE ANSWERED, “AYE.”
E. KAEMMERER
DIED IN THE VIRDEN MASSACRE, OCTOBER 12, 1898
“HE THOUGHT IT BETTER TO BE DEAD, TO DIE FOR LIBERTY AND
HIS FRIENDS, THAN TO LIVE IN BONDAGE OR JUST FOR BREATH.”
MARY “MOTHER” JONES
BORN MAY 1, 1830
DIED NOVEMBER 30, 1930
“SHE GAVE HER LIFE TO THE WORLD OF LABOR, HER BLESSED SOUL
TO HEAVEN. GOD’S FINGER TOUCHED HER AND NOW SHE SLEEPS.”
E. W. SMITH
DIED IN THE VIRDEN MASSACRE OCTOBER 12, 1898
[Rest of text illegible]
“GENERAL” ALEXANDER BRADLEY
BORN NOVEMBER 29, 1866
DIED APRIL 1, 1918
“THE FITTEST WAY FOR MAN TO DIE IS TO GIVE HIS LIFE FOR MAN
FOR TO LIVE IN THE HEARTS WE LEAVE BEHIND - IS NOT TO DIE.”
[Stone marker in front of Jones’ plaque]
MOTHER
JONES
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Date Created
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1936-10-12
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Type
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English
Grave
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Project Researcher
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Bysterbusch, Hailey
