Monday, February 15, 2016

(Photos) Des Plaines Methodist Camp Ground

Des Plaines, Illinois, founded in 1835, is steeped in history. The first corporate-owned McDonald's opened there in 1955. A Des Plaines detective broke the John Wayne Gacy serial killing case.

And it's where the Des Plaines Methodist Camp Ground was founded in 1860.


Many of the cottages are in the Late Victorian Style that is found on Martha's Vineyard. This is closest to that rich person's play ground I will ever get.

I work nearby and I've never seen anyone play baseball on this diamond.


The camp is on Algonquin Road adjacent to the Des Plaines River--and it is prone to flooding. But some cottages, courtesy of state aid, have been elevated with posts.


The camp is still open although some structures are no longer habitable.The pool is open to the public and every year there is a Haunted Hike Halloween party.


The Austin Cottage.

The famous visitors to the Methodist Camp Ground include Billy Sunday, Dwight L. Moody, Francis E. Willard, and Mahalia Jackson.

The camp ground was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The city of Des Plaines wants to purchase the land for a paltry 1.5 million and if they have too hard a time purchasing the land they may declare eminent domaine. And the American Indians thought they got ripped off? There are several articles written by The Journal & Topics newspaper-Des Plaines issue, to bring everyone up to date on this situation.