A group of ladies is taking on the cleanup of a state historic site neglected during Illinois' financial crisis.
On Wednesday, May 18, 2016, volunteers from the Mary Little Deere-Fort Armstrong Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution gathered in East Moline to clear brush and grass clippings from the Campbell's Island State Historic Site. There, a monument commemorates a day-long battle during the War of 1812 between Black Hawk's Sauk Indians and a force of U.S. rangers.
The monument was built by the local DAR chapter back in 1906. However, located on state property, it has been largely neglected.
"Illinois does not have any budget for anything. I mean, they mow, and that's the extent of their care for it," said Karin Ciaccio, DAR Chapter Regent.
So, with approval from the state, DAR members have begun tackling the site's maintenance themselves.
"Nobody took care of it. Most people didn't even know it was here," said DAR member Donna Keenan.
"You couldn't even see the river," said member Kathy Elliott, recalling the massive overgrowth. "And people in boats could not see the monument."
While the ladies are donating their time and effort, they'll need money to fix the monument itself. It will take roughly $65,000 to clean and reattach the memorial's plaques and make repairs to the granite monument.
The group hopes their restoration efforts will give American patriots the respect they deserve.
"We'd like to draw more attention to it and have kids grow up knowing what happened in their own backyard," said Ciaccio.
The DAR is also planning a ceremony on July 20, 2016, to mark the 108th anniversary of the site's dedication. The public is invited to attend.