Site of the John and Mary Jones House

Address: Southwest corner of W. 9th St. and S. Plymouth Ct. Year Built: 1850s through 1870s Architect: Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: May 26, 2004

This site honors two persons from Chicago's early history. John Jones was the undisputed leader of Chicago's black community from the 1850s through the 1870s and rose to national prominence as an abolitionist, civil rights activist, and the first African-American to hold elected office in Cook County. John and his wife Mary Jones were central figures in the abolitionist movement, using their home on Edina Place (now South Plymouth Court) as a "station" on the Underground Railroad to help fugitive slaves find freedom.