Children's Fountain, Chicago, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

The Children's Fountain stands at the southern edge of Lincoln Park in Chicago, close to the corner of Clark Street and North Avenue and right beside the Chicago History Museum. It is a pleasant place to pause, and it marks ground with a surprising past: the park grew out of an old city cemetery and was renamed for Abraham Lincoln weeks after his assassination.

The story behind it

Lincoln Park was established in 1860 as Lake Park. It grew out of Chicago's old City Cemetery, which is why it was also known as Cemetery Park. On June 12, 1865, just weeks after Lincoln was assassinated, it was renamed in his honour. Burials from the Civil War era, including Confederate prisoners who died at Camp Douglas, were once made on this ground. Their remains were later moved to Oak Woods Cemetery, where a monument raised in 1895 remembers them.

The neighbouring Chicago History Museum began as the Chicago Historical Society, founded in 1856. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed much of its early collection, including Lincoln's draft of the Emancipation Proclamation. The society rebuilt, and in 1932 it opened the oldest part of the present building at Clark and North, designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. Inside you can find the bed on which Lincoln died. Local ghost stories cling to this corner, tied to the old burial ground and the museum, but they are folklore rather than record.

What to look for

• Stand by the fountain and look north into the trees, and picture the cemetery that gave way to a park within a few years.
• The stone building of the Chicago History Museum at Clark and North is the oldest part of the museum, dating to 1932.
• The wide grassy edge of the park shows how the old burial ground was turned into open public space.
• Inside the museum, Lincoln's deathbed is among the most talked-about objects, so check what is currently on display before you go.

Tips for your visit

• Give the fountain and its surroundings 10 to 15 minutes, or longer if you want to wander into the park.
• Daylight is best for the park and the museum facade, while evening suits the ghost stories.
• The Chicago History Museum is next door; check current opening hours and admission before you plan to go in.
• Lincoln Park stretches north from here, so it is easy to combine this stop with a longer walk.

See it on a quest

Ghosts of Chicago: Haunted Lincoln Park Walking Tour & Escape Game reaches this spot on foot as one stop on a longer route through Lincoln Park. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Oz Escape: A Wicked Glitch in Chicago is a lighter, story-led way to see the area. You walk between stops, hear about each place when you get there and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Ghost Hunt in Chicago suits anyone drawn to the haunted side of this corner. You walk to the fountain as one stop of a longer route, the app tells you about the place as you reach it, and you solve a puzzle there. One ticket covers the whole group.