History of Illinois’ Camp Grant comes alive in new Midway Village exhibit

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Midway Village Museum is unveiling its exhibit featuring the history of Rockford’s Camp Grant — once one of the largest military camps in the United States — an undertaking five years in the making.

Camp Grant was formed in 1917 as a U.S. Army training facility and prisoner of war detention center, duties it served during World War I and World War II. Tens of thousands of recruits passed through the camp over its lifetime.

Camp Grant originally sat on Rockford’s southeast side, stretching from the Rock River to U.S. 251. A portion of its parcel was later developed into the Chicago Rockford International Airport.

In World War I, it was initially established to train the 86th “Black Hawk” Infantry Division, and at one point held the most soldiers of any U.S. camp.

It had a large economic and social impact on the city, contributing to its growth. Six thousand African American soldiers arrived at Camp Grant as part of the 92nd Buffalo Soldier Infantry Division, forever changing the demographics of the community.

The Booker Washington Association was formed from the prior “Colored Soldier’s Club” on S. Main Street.

Later, in World War II, it served as a prisoner of war camp and medical training unit.

The 745th Tank Battalion, which landed at Omaha Beach in Normandy for D-Day was made up of soldiers who trained at the camp.

“When we get people here to see this, we know it’s going to kind of strike them personally and they’re going to know somebody or know someone in their family or knows somebody else’s family. That that went to Camp Grant. And Camp Grant was a part of their own family history,” said marketing director Luke Frederickson.

The exhibit, located inside the museum, at 6799 Guilford Road, features artifacts, interactive displays, and rare footage of the camp.

For the last several years, the museum has undertaken an effort to collect stories and memorabilia from Camp Grant, for use in the exhibit.

“As far as we know, we’re the only museum telling the story of a regional army camp preparing soldiers to go to World War I and World War II,” said Midway Village executive director Patrick O’Keefe. “So we’re very excited. It’s a great part of our history and military history and really, frankly, impact on the world that a camp like this had.”

The 2,600 square-foot exhibit is expected to attract not only Rockford natives but war history buffs from around the globe, but Frederickson said the museum is especially excited for those with personal ties to Camp Grant to visit.

“They can look at different parts of things and say, Oh, yeah, I remember when my father, my grandfather, and my mother and my grandmother told me about how she was in the USO or she was a nurse at Camp Grant or he trained here and it’ll just keep the story alive and hopefully be a source of some real satisfaction for these families,” Fredrickson added.

The exhibit will open with a free public open house on Saturday, February 22nd from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, February 23rd from noon until 4 p.m.