Chicago District Camp Ground

In 1860, a group of Methodist ministers and businessmen, including the future war hero and Illinois Governor John L. Beveridge, began gathering annually on a scenic spot of land along the Des Plaines River to engage in religious worship and fellowship. By 1867, the property was acquired and a charter was granted by the Illinois legislature and a permanent location was established to host religious services. Initially serving the people of the Chicago area, people in the surrounding communities and the entire Midwest gathered for revival meetings and other religious services hosted at the camp.

In recent years the Campground suffered an increase in frequent flooding, the intensity and duration of which far exceeded anything the Campground experienced in its previous long history. Upon investigation, it was determined that the surge of flood damage to the facilities was the result of novel flooding infrastructure owned and operated by the City. The substantial damage to the facilities, many of which are over 100 years old, have hindered the Campground’s ability to achieve its ministry objectives.

Prior to 2020, the Campground and city had a positive working relationship and were working toward finding solutions to the flooding issues.

But that all changed when the Campground exercised its right to freely exercise its religion by hosting a religious revival that resisted the City’s Covid-19 mandates, which would have prevented the Campground from holding virtually any religious gatherings.  After that the City turned up the pressure and began taking increasingly aggressive action to shut down the Campground permanently.

In addition to the City’s attempts to demolish the overwhelming majority of the Campground’s structures, they also seek to impose the cost of the demolitions and related fines back on the Campground. Such actions would bankrupt the Campground allowing the City take the property and forever extinguish the Campground’s ability host religious gatherings on the historic site.

First Liberty Institute along with the law firms of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Pluymert, MacDonal & Fee, Ltd., are defending the campground in state court, arguing that the city is violating constitutional, state, and federal law by retaliating against the Campground for hosting a Christian revival in defiance of the city’s unlawful COVID-19 restrictions.

“They wanted to eliminate the campground. We’ve seen this before when the local government is met with blowback,” Senior Counsel Jeremy Dys said. “It seems like retribution. That’s not how this country has operated throughout its history. The campground is now being punished for daring to challenge the city.”

In April 2026, a settlement was reached between the City and the Camp Ground.  The City  agreed to pay the Camp Ground $4,000,000 to settle the parties’ claims and the purchase a portion of the Camp Ground’s Property.   The Campground has agreed to transfer over 20 acres of its property to the City to be used as green space for the community’s use and enjoyment.  The Camp Ground will retain the remaining five acres of the current site where it will continue its longstanding history of hosting Christian revivals and other religious gatherings.  The Camp Ground will also relocate the historic Waldorf Tabernacle to a new permanent location on the Camp Ground’s portion of the property.

“We are pleased with the settlement reached between the City of Des Plaines and the Chicago District Camp Ground,” said Senior Counsel Ryan Gardner. “For over 160 years, the Chicago District Camp Ground has stood as a beacon of hope and religious renewal to the city of Chicago.  This settlement has ensured that  this treasured historic religious campground will now be preserved for people to enjoy for years to come.”