Celebrating the Fourth of July

Waukegan Weekly Gazette, July 7, 1877. 

On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted for independence from Great Britain. The vote was publicly announced two days later on July 4, prompting celebrations and fireworks. The first organized observance of the Fourth took place a year later in Philadelphia, and the custom of celebrating Independence Day and our democracy quickly spread to other towns. 

The tradition was brought to Lake County, Illinois by non-Native settlers from the northeastern United States. Many of those settlers had fathers, uncles and older brothers who had fought in the Revolutionary War.

Lake County became home to two Revolutionary War veterans—Henry Collins of Massachusetts and Reuben Hill of Connecticut.

Henry Collins marker, Mount Rest Cemetery. Photo: CVal 2021. Reuben Hill marker, Wauconda Cemetery. Photo: Cindy Graff 2015. 

Collins (1763–1847) enlisted at the age of 13 and served in Captain Newton’s Company and Colonel Cushing’s Regiment. He moved to British Columbia, Canada, and then came to Lake County with his son, Edward Henry Collins and his family, settling in Rosecrans. Reuben Hill (1765–1858) came west with his son, Seth Hill and his family in 1844 and settled in Wauconda by 1845. Hill served from 1780–1783 with the 4^th New York Regiment and fought at the Battle Yorktown (September–October 1781). From 1926–1928, the Daughters of the American Revolution marked the veterans’ graves to ensure their service to the nation would be remembered.

Waukegan Weekly Gazette, July 1, 1882.

The first recorded Fourth of July celebration in Lake County took place in Vardin's Grove (today's Libertyville) in 1836—sixty years after the Declaration of Independence was signed. A handful of settlers gathered to celebrate the day, and erected a tall wooden pole known as a "liberty pole" and named their community, Independence Grove. 

In 1840, Antioch celebrated their first Fourth. At the time, Lake County was home to just 2,634 residents. 

Hiram Butrick (1811–1886) of Massachusetts was given the honor of reading the Declaration. He was likely chosen because he built a sawmill on Sequoit Creek in 1839, which helped the community prosper.

Elijah M. Haines (1822–1889), politician, historian, and founder of Hainesville, also attended the Antioch celebration. He wrote that the day was celebrated “with a barbeque” and that “a good band of martial music was in attendance to give life and spirit to the occasion.”

Recollections of July 4, 1844, Waukegan Daily Sun, July 3, 1918.

In 1844, a Fourth of July picnic was held between Third Lake and Druce Lake west of today’s Route 45. About 100 people attended, including the county’s first African American settler, Amos Bennett, and his family. The celebratory picnic dinner featured fish chowder and pumpkin pie. Also in attendance was a 13-year old Benjamin Franklin Shepard (1831–1920) of Massachusetts, whose parents proudly named him for one of the nation’s founders.

A log wagon festooned with American flags provided a decorative and patriotic speakers’ stand. Reverend William B. Dodge (1782–1869) of the Millburn Congregational Church offered a prayer for the freedom of the enslaved men and women in this “free and enlightened” nation. Nathaniel P. Dowst (1817–1854) of Waukegan read the Declaration of Independence.

For more on Rev. Dodge see my post: Reverend Dodge and the Anti-Slavery Movement

Fourth of July celebration announcement. Waukegan Weekly Gazette, July 29, 1861.

The start of the American Civil War in April 1861 magnified Lake County’s patriotism. That year the Fourth was celebrated with exuberance in Waukegan “as never celebrated before.” An advertisement for the event noted that “The bells of the city will be rung.”

Since the Fourth landed on a Thursday, the organizers announced that “everybody in the county is invited and particularly the Public Schools, accompanied by their teachers.” 

There was a large procession from the courthouse at 9 am, and all those on horseback and in carriages were invited to join. Merchants also agreed to close their shops so everyone could attend the festivities.

After the end of the Civil War in 1865, a large Fourth of July gathering was held at Druce Lake. Susie Smith (1839-1914) of Millburn noted in her diary, “Hurrah: What a 4th of July we are going to have to day.” Coincidentally, the celebration took place near the site where Amos Bennett and Rev. Dodge had gathered with their neighbors over two decades before.

Announcement for the Fourth of July gathering at Druce Lake. Waukegan Weekly Gazette, June 24, 1865.

For Smith this gathering was much more than a commemoration of the nation’s birth. It was a community celebration for the return of the soldiers, including her brother, George. She wrote: “O, so thankfully … by our sides sat those brave hero boys who, one year ago, were engaged amid the din and cloud of battle fighting for their much-loved country … [they] sang with us again beneath our own ‘Star Spangled Banner.’"

Susie Smith's handwritten account of the 4th of July gathering at Druce Lake in 1865. Dunn Museum 93.45.290.

"The Rays" newsletter masthead for July, 1943. Ray Brothers Resort, Diamond Lake. Dunn Museum, 96.1.50

Celebrate America's 250th at the Lake County Forest Preserves: www.LCFPD.org/250

D. Dretske, Curator, ddretske@lcfpd.org

Sources:
Lake County History Archives, Bess Bower Dunn Museum, Libertyville, Illinois www.LCFPD.org/museum
Ancestry.com

Newspapers.com
“Only Revolution Soldier Buried in Lake County Joined When 13 Years Old,” Waukegan Daily Sun, August 17, 1911.
“Grave of Hero of 1776 Found in Lake County,” Waukegan Daily Sun, June 1, 1926.
“Another Grave of Revolutionary Veteran Located,” Waukegan Daily Sun, June 3, 1926.
“To Unveil Marker, Henry Collins’ Grave,” Waukegan Daily Sun, June 9, 1928.
Haines, Elijah M. Historical and Statistical Sketches, of Lake County, State of Illinois. Waukegan: E.G. Howe, 1852.
“Tells of First 4^th Celebration Here 74 Years Ago,” Waukegan Daily Sun, July 3, 1918.
“The Day We Celebrate! The Fourth at Waukegan,” Waukegan Weekly Gazette, June 29, 1861.
“4^th of July at Druce’s Lake,” Waukegan Weekly Gazette, June 24, 1865.
Susannah “Susie” Smith Diary, Bess Bower Dunn Museum.

"The Rays," newsletter, July 1943. Bess Bower Dunn Museum. 

Amos Bennett, First African-American Settler

Amos Bennett was the county's first African-American settler, arriving in Gurnee by the fall of 1835.

Despite this remarkable distinction, Bennett's story was sparsely documented in early histories and went unresearched by historians until the 1990s. The discovery that sparked the museum's groundbreaking primary research on Bennett occurred in 1993 when museum volunteer Al Westerman was researching land records at the Lake County Recorder of Deeds. There, Westerman came across records of Bennett's land purchases. The find aroused curiosity since local legend and one published history claimed that Bennett had been merely a "squatter" and not a land owner.

If the squatting story was incorrect, what else might we find about this pioneering settler? The research eventually took myself and Al Westerman to Delhi, New York, where we met historian Shirley Houck, who was also interested in the Bennett Family story.

Amos Bennett (1797-post 1852) was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, to enslaved parents Timothy Bennett and Lil Disbrow Bennett. In 1799, Timothy and Lil were given a manumission paper freeing them "by the consent" of their enslaver, Joseph Bennett. The Bennetts then moved their family to Delhi, New York, taking the paper verifying their freedom and safe passage with them. The Bennetts became the first free Blacks to settle in Delhi and leased property in an area known as the Hardenburgh Patent on Federal Hill. They worked as sheep shearers, laborers, and farmers.

Elijah Haines wrote in his Past & Present of Lake County, Illinois (1877) that Bennett arrived in 1834. He "was a colored man, and the first of the African race who came to what is now Lake County; he is said to have once remarked, with much self-satisfaction, speaking apparently with reference to the Indians, that he was the first white man that ever planted corn in Lake County. He was a very intelligent man and much respected."

Gravemarker for Miles Bennett, the brother of Amos Bennett. Bennett Family Cemetery, Delhi, NY. 

Photo courtesy of Shirley Houck.

However, I believe that Amos Bennett left for Lake County, Illinois, in the fall of 1835. He left behind his parents and siblings, including a twin brother, Almon. His first wife, Clara, and their children, Henry and Emily, likely joined him after he settled in Illinois. This timeline follows the last record of Amos Bennett in Delhi, which is dated August 28, 1835, when he paid a portion of his father’s lease.

Historian John Halsey also felt that the 1835 date was likely. Halsey stated in his county history of 1912 that Amos arrived "before the close of 1835," settling "on the River above Vardin's Grove [Libertyville]."

Others have speculated that Bennett came west much later and may have been part of the westward migration of 100 families from Delhi that settled in the Gurnee area. This group included Philip Blanchard, a friend and neighbor to Bennett, and an abolitionist.

Bennett built a log cabin southwest of the intersection of Washington Street and Milwaukee Avenue in Gurnee. He later had a house and property on Dilley’s Road north of Grand Avenue near today’s Gurnee Mills. His brother Alfred (1805-1881) and his family lived with him for a time in Gurnee and purchased property in what is now Greenbelt Forest Preserve. Alfred later moved his family to Ottawa County, Michigan.

Amos Bennett owned 148 acres in Lake County. He sent his children to the local one-room school. Bennett was known as Dr. Bennett for his healing skill with herbs. He is reported to have saved the life of Hannah Blanchard (wife of Philip) after she was struck by lightning.

According to primary research by Debra Mieszala, in the spring of 1840, Bennett appeared at the first session of the circuit court in Libertyville. His complaint? He wanted a divorce from his wife, Clara. Mieszala's published article on the proceedings "Clara, Clary, Clarice! Amos Bennett's First Wife Identified Through the Use of Court Records," appeared in the Lake County Illinois Genealogical Society newsletter, (Volume 21, No. 4, Apr-Jun 2001) excerpted as follows:

"Amos told the court that he had married his present wife, Clara, in the State of New York in July 1820. He stated that in July 1836, Clara had committed adultery with Thomas Wilkinson, a Mr. Wood, and other persons unknown to Amos.... he "remonstrated" against the "wicked practices of said Clary," and as a result, she left him. Clara removed to Cook County, where Amos claimed she was living with other men... The case was found in Amos's favor in April 1841."

By 1843, Bennett remarried. The story is that he "traveled south," and when he returned, he brought a new wife, Ann Frances. 

In August 1843, Bennett ran (unsuccessfully) for public office as Lake County Commissioner against William Shephard, Seth Washburn, and Stephen Bennett. This makes him the first African-American to run for public office in Lake County.

He and his children were welcome at community gatherings, including a Fourth of July celebration at Third Lake in 1844. It was the first Fourth of July celebration in Lake County and was held at the confluence of Second and Third Lakes (northwest of Washington Street and U.S. Route 45). Nearly 100 people gathered from neighboring communities, including the Bennetts. When dinner was ready, all the families paraded in a circle and came together at the chowder kettle, where Reverend Dodge (Millburn Congregational Church) blessed the food. After the meal, Reverend Dodge prayed for the freedom of the slaves in the South, and Nat Doust read a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

In 1846, Bennett and 30 other families pooled their money, purchased a three-acre tract of land, and created the Warren Township Cemetery.

Bennett bought and sold many acres of land and borrowed money using his land, horses, and a wagon as collateral. The last record documenting Bennett in Lake County is dated May 13, 1852. That is the day he sold his remaining land (40 acres) to Philip Blanchard for $200 and paid his mortgage.

Despite much effort, the story of Amos Bennett ends in 1852. We have been unable to discover what became of him and his family. Although at least one source claimed he moved to Wisconsin, the Bennetts do not appear in census records there or elsewhere in the United States. It would probably take visits to county courthouses to find records verifying where Bennett re-settled his family.

Delhi, New York historian Shirley Houck (1926-2013), visiting the Bennett Cemetery on Federal Hill near Delhi. 

Photo courtesy of Shirley Houck.

In 1997, the Lake County Forest Preserves placed a memorial plaque commemorating Bennett along the Des Plaines River trail near Washington Street in Gurnee.

In 1997, the Lake County Forest Preserves honored Amos Bennett by placing a plaque near the site of his homestead in Gurnee. 

Photo courtesy of LCFPD. 

In 2008, descendants of Tim and Lill Bennett gathered in Delhi, New York, for a family reunion. 

In 2023, the Village of Gurnee and Warren Township High School's Black Student Union dedicated a new plaque to Bennett at the historic Mother Rudd Home site in Gurnee. 

The Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County staff continues researching the Amos Bennett Family. We would very much like to hear from descendants or historians with more information. 

- Diana Dretske ddretske@lcfpd.org

The Great Anniversary Festival

John Adams, the second president of the United States, declared, “I believe that [the Fourth] will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.”

This postcard (circa 1930) is a view of the Battle of Concord, April 19, 1775 diorama once featured at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

The American Revolutionary War (1775 – 1783) was the culmination of a political revolution in which the thirteen united former British colonies rejected the right of Great Britain’s Parliament to govern them and formed a Continental Army to fight for independence.

Though the war began in 1775, our nation's independence is dated to July 4, 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress.

In 1776, small celebrations, including toasts to the new nation were made, but the first official celebration was held July 4, 1777 in Philadelphia. The custom spread to other towns quickly and included parades, games, military displays, and fireworks.

The first Fourth of July celebration in Lake County, Illinois, was held in 1844 at the confluence of Second and Third Lakes, in today’s Village of Third Lake. Nearly 100 people gathered from neighboring communities, including Nathaniel Vose, who acted as the celebration’s “marshal,” Amos Bennett and his family who were the first African American settlers in the county, and Reverend Dodge of the Millburn Congregational Church.

David Gilmore, a settler from Massachusetts, made chowder, and other families brought pumpkin pie (made from pumpkins harvested and dried the previous fall), sorrel pies, and seed cakes.

After the meal was eaten, Reverend Dodge gave a prayer for the freedom of the slaves in the South, and Nat Doust read a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

Since there were no fire crackers or fireworks, but people wanted a bit of noise to celebrate, B.F. Shepherd said, several boys “got hold of a little powder, wet it and filled some wild goose quills… when they were touched with a live coal they would go around in all directions.”

Two Revolutionary War veterans are buried in Lake County. Henry Collins (1763-1847) served in Massachusetts from 1781 to 1783, and is buried in the Mount Rest Cemetery in Newport Township. Reuben Hill (1765-1858) served in New York State from 1780 to 1783, and is buried in the Wauconda Cemetery.

(Postcards in this post, unless otherwise noted, are circa 1905 - 1915)