Historic Methodist Camp Ground

of Des Plaines

1250 Campground Rd.

Des Plaines, Illinois  60016

(847) 824-4924

(History page 2)

The early meetings were mostly tent cities or temporary arrangements that offered overnight accommodations for the week-long meeting. Gradually permanent structures, such as tabernacles for the services and cottages for residences, were constructed. The camp meeting location became a village that offered the benefits of camping out in a shaded grove and the opportunity to revive one's faith.

The Des Plaines site is significant as one of the oldest permanent sites in the United States; and it is one of the best-preserved examples of a radial plan of streets with concentric circles of cottages around the main tabernacle. The 1903 Waldorf Tabernacle is a significant structural achievement with its steel trusses arranged in a circle creating a clear span of 110 feet. Over one hundred cottages, dated from the late 19th to early 20th century, from a collection of residential wooden structures designed specifically for the rural camp meeting.

The Chicago District Camp Ground Association is the original owner of the land and maintains the site that has now functioned continuously as a religious location since the Civil War era.

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