Burial Site of Josette Beaubien - Franklin Park, IL
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Go Boilers!
N 41° 56.501 W 087° 51.218
16T E 429239 N 4643653
The grave site of one of the survivors of the Fort Dearborn Massacre is located next to an industrial park.
Waymark Code: WM697D
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 04/26/2009
Views: 7
The Fort Dearborn massacre occurred on August 15, 1812in what is now Chicago, Illinois during the War of 1812. The massacre followed the evacuation of the fort. Fort Dearborn's commander Captain Nathan Heald ordered all whiskey and gunpowder to be destroyed so it would not be seized by the local Indian tribes allied with the British, although he had agreed to these terms a few hours earlier. He then prepared to abandon his post. Heald remained at Fort Dearborn until support arrived from Fort Wayne, Indiana. A column of 148 soldiers, women and children then left Fort Dearborn intending to march to Fort Wayne. However, about one and a half miles (2 km) south of Fort Dearborn, at about what is now 18th Street and Prairie Avenue, a band of Potawatomi warriors ambushed the garrison, killing more than fifty and capturing the remainder as prisoners to sell to the British as slaves. The British purchased the captives and released them immediately afterwards. Fort Dearborn was burned to the ground, and the region remained empty of U.S. citizens until after the war had ended.
Text of sign:
Josette Beaubien, a survivor of the Fort Dearborn Massacre, was buried here in 1845. She was married to Jean Baptiste Beaubien, one of Chicago's first settlers. Her brother was Claude LaFramboise, a chief of the Potawatomie Indians. Chief Alexander Robinson and Claude LaFramboise, local Native Americans, were rewarded with large tracts of land after the War of 1812. These properties composed much of Franklin Park and Schiller Park. Eventually this site was sold to the Schultz family. The original plot survey details this burial site. It is approximately twenty-feet square and additional graves are present.
Date Erected/Dedicated: 5/21/06
Who put it there? Private/Government?: Village of Franklin Park and the Illinois State Historical Society
Location/Address:
River Road and King Avenue
Franklin Park, IL USA
60131
County/Province: Illinois
Rate the Site: 
Photos Will Be Uploaded: yes
Website (related) if available: Not listed
Hours or Restrictions if Appropiate: Not listed
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