Rosehill's Early History

Map of Rosehill Cemetery c.a. 1883

The Officers and Board of Managers of Rosehill sought to increase Rosehill’s reputation in the years immediately following its creation.  Between 1859 and 1860 they published several booklets with information on the cemetery, its dedication, and, most importantly, its lot holders.  These early lists of lot holders feature names of prominent nineteenth century Chicagoans and were published in an effort to pressure their peers into purchasing lots at Rosehill.  

The Board of Managers also engaged the public and the city in conversations about the closing of the Chicago City Cemetery.  Primary subjects included availability and price of plots for disinterred remains from that location.  In the end, some of the first residents of Rosehill were those moved from the City Cemetery. 

Main Gate c.a 1877

In 1864 the cemetery commissioned William W. Boyington, the architect of the Chicago Water Tower, to design a formal entrance.  The result - the castellated gothic gate at right.  Visible from the railroad, the gate increased the cemetery’s prominence.