Residents at a historic campground in suburban Des Plaines will be forced from their homes following an agreement reached between the city and the campground’s owners after years of severe flooding.
Under the deal finalized earlier this month between the City of Des Plaines and the Chicago District Campground Association, the city will acquire 22 acres of the Methodist Campground site, leaving just five for the campground. Residents will have to vacate later this year when the city takes possession of the land.
The campground holds roughly 80 remaining structures, many dating back decades to its founding in the 1860s.
Residents like Holly Davidova own their cottages, but not the land they sit on. She calls it her safe space, a place where children once gathered at the well, using an old pump.
“It’s not just a house. It’s not just a cottage,” Davidova said. “For other people, it’s like a religious site, a holy site.”
But persistent flooding is pushing residents out. Davidova said water from a nearby creek and the Des Plaines River regularly enter the property.
Residents previously filed lawsuits against the city, claiming a levee system was to blame. A judge later rejected those claims.
City Attorney Peter Friedman said the cost of bringing the campground up to code would be prohibitive.
“It would take a lot of money, an extraordinary amount of money to rebuild or elevate all of those structures, some of which cannot even be elevated because they’re in such a dilapidated condition,” Friedman said.
Without the settlement, Friedman said, flood insurance costs could have risen by millions because many of the buildings are not up to code.
For residents like Davidova, the agreement came as a blow. Many said they had no voice in the negotiations.
“Everyone here is scrambling to try to find a place,” Davidova said. “Some people have had this for two or three generations.”
Friedman acknowledged the difficulty but pointed to the timeline.
“We know that change can always be difficult,” he said. “The city does not own the property yet. The city will not own the property until later this year.”
Davidova said there is no guarantee she will see any money from the millions in the settlement. She is among roughly a dozen residents still on the property, and she said pushing back is the only option left.
“My hope and my prayer is God is going to make a way where there is no way,” Davidova said.
Attorneys for the Chicago District Campground Association sent the following statement to NBC Chicago:
“The Chicago District Camp Ground Association is grateful that a settlement has been reached, allowing us to begin a solemn new chapter in the life of this historic Christian camp ground. For more than 160 years, these sacred grounds have been a place where generations have gathered to worship, pray, fellowship, and experience God in nature. As we look ahead, our goal is clear: to preserve our history, protect the Waldorf Tabernacle — a nationally recognized endangered historic landmark and the spiritual heart of the Camp Ground, continuing the ministry entrusted to us for future generations. We are profoundly thankful to First Liberty Institute for taking this case pro bono, including attorney Ryan Gardner, and to the dedicated team from Kirkland & Ellis. Their commitment helped protect not only property, but a legacy of faith, worship, and religious freedom. This settlement marks a solemn new beginning. It is not a day of triumph, nor a day of defeat. It is a day to give thanks for what will endure, to grieve what must be lost, and to recommit ourselves to the mission entrusted to this Camp Ground more than 160 years ago. We are thankful for the opportunity to turn the page, reset our relationship with the City of Des Plaines, and move forward together in a spirit of cooperation, stewardship, and shared responsibility. Yet we also recognize the deep loss of the majority of our historic cottages and the separation of cottagers whose families, memories, prayers, and spiritual lives have long been rooted on these grounds. Still, our story is not ending. What must be surrendered will not erase what has been built. By God’s grace, the mission continues.”
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