Lake Villa Township may buy Camp Peacock

A wooded property on Crooked Lake, idle after more than 60 years as a destination for youngsters to enjoy summer activities, could be revived with its pending purchase by Lake Villa Township.

Rooted in the fortunes of the rich and influential Lehmann family, the 22-acre property with 300 feet of lakefront had fallen on hard times and recently became available via foreclosure.

“The land is the main investment we're looking at,” explained township Supervisor Dan Venturi. “It's a great opportunity and something we don't want to miss.”

The township board last week agreed to proceed with the purchase of Camp Peacock pending affirmation by township voters at a special town meeting Dec. 27.

Voters, also known as electors, have a say on pending property sales or purchases, which is why a special meeting had to be scheduled, according to Venturi.

“We've got an agreement, but it's contingent on that approval,” he said. “It's not just the board — you have to get the support of the community.”

Terms of the purchase will be disclosed at the meeting, he added.

Re-establishing a camp and providing space for community use are among the potential ideas for the site, officials said.

An item regarding the sale of a portion of the Gavin North School property to the Lake Villa Fire Protection District also will be on the meeting agenda.

The township first made an offer three years ago, for the camp, which is centrally located in the township south and east of North Deep Lake Road and West Edgewood Avenue. The potential deal fell through, however.

While operations continued up until at least part of this past summer, according to Venturi, township officials kept watch and learned in the fall that the title had been transferred to the Union National Bank of Elgin.

“We approached the bank,” Venturi said. “We were familiar with the property. We were in a position to move quickly and that probably helped a lot.”

The facility was an outgrowth of the philanthropy of the Lehmann family, which played a major role in Lake Villa history.

Patriarch Ernst Johann Lehmann established one of the earliest department stores in Chicago. He also made Lake Villa into a resort destination by bringing the Wisconsin Central railroad to town, according to a historical account by Diana Dretske, collections coordinator at the Lake County Discovery Museum.

His daughter, Emilie, married into the Peacock family. In the 1930s, her three daughters did charitable work at Chicago Billings Hospital, said Sue Cribb, president of the Lake Villa Historical Society.

They were working with children who had polio and “wanted to find a place in the country for them,” according to Cribb. The spot they picked was the original Lehmann mansion, now One Hope United.

After about 10 years, the property was sold and the proceeds used to build the facilities on Crooked Lake. The Peacock Camp for Crippled Children opened in June 1949.

“It was specially designed for handicapped children,” Cribb said.

The free camp operated for decades until the property was sold in 1999. Proceeds went to a foundation that carried on the Peacock work by awarding more than $1 million in grants, Cribb said. The foundation was dissolved in 2007.

Various activities, including the Great Outdoors Camp featuring featured swimming, boating and fishing for youngsters, were offered at the site in the intervening years but couldn't be sustained.

The sale involves three adjoining parcels, as well as about 10 acres that are part of the lake and underwater. The main building on the site has a kitchen, dining area and several classrooms, Venturi said. There also is a regulation-size soccer field and a swimming pool.

Pending approval by electors, a closing is likely by the end of the year, Venturi said. Initial plans are to use the property as a summer camp and meeting rooms for residents and groups, as well as youth sports.

“I think it will be very well used by the community,” Cribb said. “It's a beautiful spot.”