The Grave of Henry Darger
So, today Nate and I gave Mommy a little alone time after a week's worth of taking care of the wee one. And what better place to take your currently non-ambulatory son? Right, All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines, IL, to see the grave of Henry Darger.
Thanks to Ron Paquin, I was able to find Henry's grave-which, according to the folks at All Saints' office, isn't there. Well, actually, it is. I was one of two people to contact Ron because of the picture he took of Darger's stone and posted to Flickr. The other person had the same problem with the file clerks at All Saints. So, for anyone else trying to find the man's grave so you can pay tribute to the creator of the Vivian Girls, here are the directions.
Firstoff, go to All Saints Cemetery.
View Larger Map
You want the old section, so pull into the entrance with the red bricks and columns, not the modernist nightmare gate.
Turn right. There's a map (see below). Unfortunately, it's strangely flipped, so if you're not paying attention, you'll end up in a completely different part of the cemetery before you realize River Road is where the Des Plaines River is supposed to be, and vice versa. Essentially, what you want is Section 20 (marked below). Turn right as you enter the gates, then keep driving to the edge of the cemetery, near the southeast corner.
Henry is buried in the Old People of the Little Sisters of the Poor plot. His grave is one of the few to have a marker, but it's flat, so you won't see it until you're on top of it. Thus, look first for the statue of St. Hilary.
Turn your back on it so you're looking at the Old People of the Little Sisters of the Poor cross (it's not terribly big, but it's against the fence and the tallest marker there, so you can't miss it.
Starting at the edge of the road, walk about 17 paces. Henry will be somewhere around there.
And here he is, protecting Nate.
Appropriately enough, a nearby stone has a cherubic-looking young miss watching over the crazy old man of Webster Avenue.
Last one. I found it touching that someone left a plastic paintbrush on the gravestone, perhaps reflective of the children's art supplies Henry worked in. I thought there would be more tributes, but I think the cemetery folks are diligent in gathering up anything that might clog up the lawnmowers.
Thanks to Ron Paquin, I was able to find Henry's grave-which, according to the folks at All Saints' office, isn't there. Well, actually, it is. I was one of two people to contact Ron because of the picture he took of Darger's stone and posted to Flickr. The other person had the same problem with the file clerks at All Saints. So, for anyone else trying to find the man's grave so you can pay tribute to the creator of the Vivian Girls, here are the directions.
Firstoff, go to All Saints Cemetery.
View Larger Map
You want the old section, so pull into the entrance with the red bricks and columns, not the modernist nightmare gate.
Turn right. There's a map (see below). Unfortunately, it's strangely flipped, so if you're not paying attention, you'll end up in a completely different part of the cemetery before you realize River Road is where the Des Plaines River is supposed to be, and vice versa. Essentially, what you want is Section 20 (marked below). Turn right as you enter the gates, then keep driving to the edge of the cemetery, near the southeast corner.
Henry is buried in the Old People of the Little Sisters of the Poor plot. His grave is one of the few to have a marker, but it's flat, so you won't see it until you're on top of it. Thus, look first for the statue of St. Hilary.
Turn your back on it so you're looking at the Old People of the Little Sisters of the Poor cross (it's not terribly big, but it's against the fence and the tallest marker there, so you can't miss it.
Starting at the edge of the road, walk about 17 paces. Henry will be somewhere around there.
And here he is, protecting Nate.
Appropriately enough, a nearby stone has a cherubic-looking young miss watching over the crazy old man of Webster Avenue.
Last one. I found it touching that someone left a plastic paintbrush on the gravestone, perhaps reflective of the children's art supplies Henry worked in. I thought there would be more tributes, but I think the cemetery folks are diligent in gathering up anything that might clog up the lawnmowers.