“A veteran of 1816 Battle of Waterloo.” The epitaph is slightly off but who’s complaining? Right here lies Andreas Von Zirngibl. He is the sole occupant of Chicago’s smallest graveyard.
Let me tell you the captivating story of Andreas Von Zirngibl. His final resting place is a testament to a life of battles won and land disputes fought.
Andreas Von Zirngibl was born in Bavaria. This was on March 30 1797. At 18 he joined the Prussian forces. He served under Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. Blücher was a respected field marshal. He was nicknamed Marschall Vorwärts. This means Marshal Forward. It was due to his aggressive warfare style.
Under Von Blücher, Von Zirngibl fought at Waterloo in 1815. This is where he faced Napoleon Bonaparte. During that famous battle Andreas lost an arm. The Duke of Wellington called it the nearest-run thing you ever saw.
After Waterloo Von Zirngibl returned to Bavaria. He became a fisherman on the Danube River. He married and had five children. Seeking better opportunities he moved his family to America.
In 1854 the Von Zirngibl family arrived in Chicago. Back then Chicago was a town of 50000 people. He bought 44 acres of marshy land. It was near the mouth of the Calumet River. The cost was 160 dollars in gold.
Von Zirngibl built a shack on his land. He continued fishing. He caught sturgeon herring perch and pike in Lake Michigan. It seemed like an idyllic new life. Sadly Andreas caught a fever. He died on August 21 1855. It was just a year after arriving in America.
As per his wishes Von Zirngibl was buried on his land. His family marked the grave with wood. They put up a white picket fence. Later the family moved to Chicago’s North Side. But they kept tending to the gravesite.
In 1895 a land dispute arose. The Calumet and Chicago Canal and Dock Company acquired the land. The Zirngibl family contested the acquisition. They claimed their deed was lost in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
The canal company argued Von Zirngibl was a squatter. They said he had no legal right to the property. The Illinois Supreme Court sided with the company. The judge noted the Zirngibls only claimed the land. This happened after it became valuable.
The judge conceded one point. The grave of Andreas von Zirngibl would stay. The family would have access to it forever.
Over the years the land changed hands. It passed from one industrial owner to another. Each respected the grave. Accidents did occur. In the 1980s the wooden marker was run over.
In 1987 the East Side Historical Society renovated the gravesite. Henry Zirngibl a descendant helped. They erected a new marble headstone. They placed concrete blocks around the cemetery. This protected it from machinery.
Accidents continued. In 1999 a crane obliterated the headstone. Scrap Processing replaced it at a cost of 4000 dollars.
The cemetery has never been peaceful. But Andreas von Zirngibl was a veteran of Waterloo. He could surely put up with an unruly crane or two.
Today the grave of Andreas Von Zirngibl sits within a scrapyard. It is a lasting monument to a soldier. It is a fisherman and an immigrant. His story echos through Chicago’s industrial landscape. His final wish is honored still. A veteran of Waterloo rests in peace.