Take a walk through Elgin's Civil War history

One of the last Civil War-era homes left standing in the Near West neighborhood of Elgin will be featured on the first Elgin Civil War History Walk, scheduled for noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 21.

Known as the Nancy Kimball Cobblestone House at 302 W. Chicago St., the home was built for the wife of one of Elgin's founders, Joseph Kimball. Nancy's sons, William and Samuel, who built the home, later served as mayors for the city of Elgin.

The Elgin Museum and the Near West Neighbors Association are working together to preserve the near west neighborhood and the home, which they hope to restore and turn into a satellite museum site.

"We'll be developing permanent displays, and that house will be used for a variety of programs," Jennifer Fukala, president of Near West Neighbors Association, said. "We hope to host school groups there and make a meeting space for community groups to be able to hold programs there."

The walk will begin at noon, and run again at 1 and 2 p.m. Interested parties can tour the Near West neighborhood and listen to stories about prominent Civil War forefathers like General William Lynch and Lt. Col. John Wilcox. The walk will last about an hour along a hilly route that will require walking shoes.

"It's a pretty robust route," Fukala said. "If anybody doesn't want to do the entire route, they can get somebody to pick them up by Washington School or by the Dairy Queen."

The starting point, the Kimball House, will feature a display of family artifacts including a Civil War-era saddle.

"We'll talk about the Kimball family involvement at that time," said Fukala, who has lived in the neighborhood for eight years.

In the future, they hope to have a permanent collection of Civil War artifacts on display at the Kimball House.

Organizers of the event say they decided to host the walk as a springboard into a Civil War re-enactment planned for this summer. Local Civil War historian Ken Gough is one of the planners of the re-enactment.

"We just really want to tell the Civil War story on the west side," explained Elgin History Museum Director Elizabeth Marston. "We hope to attract a lot of people."

Gough will be portraying a Civil War character during the walk and will be sharing stories of confederate and union soldiers working together, Marston added.

The history

In the 1840s, the west side of Elgin was mainly farmland with a few small clusters of buildings, according to Fukala. A few key people helped to create the neighborhood. Family names like Lynch and Wilcox were critical to its development.

Gen. William Lynch, for example, served with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant during the war. Lynch grew up in Elgin and started a group of local cadets who turned into a militia that went off to war for Elgin. The city gave Lynch a house when he returned.

"A Civil War re-enactor is going to portray Gen. William Lynch in first person at his house," Fukala said. "It was such a treat to go over to this house and tell the people who live there now that a famous general once lived in their house."

When Grant became president, he visited Lynch, his old war buddy, at his home on Leonard Street.

"He was the only sitting president who came to Elgin," Fukala said.

Part of the goal of the walk is to raise funds for renovating the Kimball House. Past historic walking tours have helped to educate the general public about the Elgin neighborhood.

"It's not unheard of for us to get 80 to 100 people," Fukala said. "It all depends on the weather and how interested the public is."

Organizers are requesting a $5 suggested donation that will benefit the Near West Neighbors Association of Elgin. There will also be a raffle to raise funds for the Kimball House.

Meanwhile, Jeff Turner, owner of In the Neighborhood Deli is running a fundraiser with 10 percent of proceeds going to the Kimball House during the third week of May.

For details on the walk, follow the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/events/160003474527265/ or visit elginhistory.org,

If you go

What: Elgin Civil War History Walk

When: Noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 21; tours depart at noon, 1 and 2 p.m.

Where: Nancy Kimball Cobblestone House, 302 W. Chicago St., Elgin

Cost: $5 suggested donation

Details: <a href="http://elginhistory.org/event/near-west-side-neighborhood-civil-war-walk/">elginhistory.org</a>