Mt. Olive Union Miners Cemetery memorials


The Mother Jones monument was sponsored by the Progressive Miners of America.
It was inaugurated in 1936 with great fanfare. The monument is also a tribute to martyrs of the Battle of Virden and to heroes of labor solidarity in the Illinois coalfields, such as General Alexander Bradley. As well, one can walk among the graves and note the number of them that make reference to union membership.

In the image below we see the final grave site of Mother Jones (foreground), which was incorporated into the Progressive Miners of America monument in 1936.

 
Loretta Williams and the real Mother Jones.

A few feet away from the great monument is the Virden Massacre memorial marker (below). An interesting article is available at this website: http://genealogytrails.com/ill/macoupin/cem_unionminers.html

And near the Virden Massacre Memorial is the tombstone of General Alexander Bradley, the great leader in the Battle of Virden and unionization of the Illinois coalfields.