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Civil War holding cell to get paint job in St. Charles

St. Charles aldermen signed off Monday night on a free paint job for the 170-year-old Jones Law Office.

The historic building's move to Langum Park last month was the first step in preserving it for Civil War history buffs - it was a holding cell for deserting soldiers - and the city's own heritage. The next step is ongoing maintenance, but there is no plan or budget for it.

"We're working on a long-term maintenance program ... that we will present in the spring," public works director Peter Suhr told aldermen Monday night. "But until then, the building will have to endure one more St. Charles winter."

Fans of the building don't want to wait that long.

Members of the Camp Kane Heritage Foundation found a local painter and formed a volunteer group to repaint the exterior of the one-room structure at no cost to the city.

That's good news for city officials, who already spent more than $70,000 to move the building to its current site. The new paint will match the existing colors on the exterior of the structure.

Aldermen followed the city's historic preservation commission in unanimously approving the paint job.

Suhr said the long-term maintenance plan will include a management and education agreement with the Camp Kane Heritage Foundation, including a maintenance budget and any future cost-sharing opportunities.

The historical significance of the office stems from its connection to Steven Sandborn Jones, the lawyer credited with the push that led to the adoption of "St. Charles" as the city's name.

St. Charles was originally called Charleston, but there was already a community in Illinois with that same name, leading Jones to call for a change to "St. Charles." He is considered either the first or one of the first lawyers in the Fox Valley area.

Jones' law office building also served as a holding cell for deserting soldiers during the Civil War. There is still graffiti inside the law office from the captive soldiers.

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