Recalling St. Charles site's proud history

A portion of Langum Park on Route 25 in St. Charles was rededicated Saturday as Camp Kane, the name of the training camp that served the 8th Illinois Cavalry that fought during the Civil War.

The ceremony came just 12 days after the St. Charles city council passed a resolution recognizing the land as Camp Kane.

"It is now Camp Kane; it is home," said Maj. Jesse Martinez of Warrenville, who is a member of the 8th Cavalry, which functions as a Civil War training re-enactment group. The 8th Cavalry was reactivated in 1976 for the U.S. bi-centennial celebration, and the group has held a spring drill at Langum Park for the past eight years.

Martinez and about 30 other men in authentic replicas of Civil War uniforms, several on horseback, were on hand to hoist a replica of the flag of the 8th Cavalry. A drummer and two men on flutes played "Glory, Glory Hallelujah."

"This is the land that Gen. John Farnsworth donated as a training ground," Martinez told the gathering. "We have come to rededicate this land, and we come to give a nod to the efforts of the 8th Illinois Cavalry in preserving the union."

"So many people don't realize this was a Civil War training camp," said Kim Malay, president of the Farnsworth Mansion Foundation, which raises money to rebuild the Farnsworth Mansion that was dismantled in 1993.

"We hope that this awareness of history helps our efforts, especially since we are finding out about more locations of the Underground Railroad in St. Charles. The history is intertwined," Malay said. "Gen. Farnsworth was an abolitionist, and we believe the Farnsworth Mansion was part of the Underground Railroad."

Farnsworth built his mansion in 1860 on what is now Route 31 in St. Charles. It became Mount St. Mary's Academy and was sold to Lutheran Valley High School in 1971. It was used as a thrift shop until 1992.

The foundation has a goal of raising $2 million to rebuild the mansion on the land that was rededicated Saturday as Camp Kane. It also will serve as a Civil War museum.

"People need to know that there's more to Langum Park than the sled hill and the playground," Martinez said. "Its history is tied to this community."

The 8th Cavalry will camp at Camp Kane and hold drills until about noon today.

For information on the Farnsworth Mansion Foundation, visit www.farnsworthmansion.com.