After months of deliberation, Kane County is still discussing what to do with an elm tree and plaque from the local Daughters of the American Revolution that had initially been central to the county’s plans for celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
Now, following failed plans to plant the tree at the county courthouse in Geneva and with the nation’s semiquincentennial having come and gone, the county board is looking to a new site for the tree — and a new holiday around which to celebrate it.
Specifically, the tree and plaque are being considered for a grassy area outside the entrance to the county’s Judicial Center in St. Charles, and Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog says she’s hoping the tree can be planted in time for a celebration around the time of Veterans Day.
The county initially accepted the historical marker and “Liberty Tree” from the Elias Kent Kane Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution in November.
The donation was intended to honor several Revolutionary War veterans who settled in Kane County and who are buried within its borders: William Bennett, who’s buried in Campton Hills; John Gowdy, buried in Batavia; Abner Powers, buried in Lily Lake; Frederick Vaughn, buried in Aurora; and John Finley, who died in St. Charles but whose burial location is unknown.
When the donation was first accepted, the proposed location for the historical marker and tree — an American elm which was grown from seed since last spring — was the Kane County Courthouse at 100 S. Third St. in Geneva.
But, following discussion, changes of plans and pushback from the board, a proposal to plant the tree at the courthouse was voted down by the board in May.
The county had initially been aiming to have a groundbreaking or ceremonial event for the “Declaration Square” at the courthouse in July as part of America’s 250th anniversary festivities.
But the anniversary came and went without the tree getting planted, and the square’s future remained up in the air.
More recently, however, the county has a new pitch: to put the tree and plaque at the county’s Judicial Center campus, at 37W777 Route 38 in St. Charles, for a much lower price.
That location, too, has been a source of some discussion among the board, with some board members expressing support for the new site, while others questioned things like the possibility that the area in question may one day need to be converted into parking if the courthouse at the campus is expanded.
At the Kane County Board’s regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Pierog, the county board chair, noted that the planned location in a grassy area across from the entrance to the Judicial Center building already has flags and an existing plaque dedicated to Kane County veterans nearby.
At the meeting, board member Leslie Juby inquired as to the funding source for the project, to which Roger Fahnestock, Kane County’s executive director of Information Technologies and Building Management, said some funds were still available from donations that came in when the tree was still slated to be planted at the Geneva courthouse. Fahnestock said the remainder would come out of the Building Management Department’s operating budget, and noted that there’s also a proposal under consideration that would be cheaper.
On the question of funds, board member Alex Arroyo said he’d “kick in $100,” and suggested that the county board’s members, many of whom have connections with local organizations, can help raise money for the project.
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“We can get this done,” Arroyo said. “We just have to have the will to do it.”
There was also some discussion Tuesday about which names would be on the plaque, to which Fahnestock said the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, or DAR, has to get national approval, and that there are historians who will verify all of the information that’s submitted.
The timeline for approval was also mentioned, with board member Michelle Gumz questioning why a measure was being brought to the board at this point, particularly given plans for a scheduled discussion about the tree and plaque at the board’s Administration Committee meeting the following day.
Pierog said that there’s somewhat of a time crunch, and delaying approval until the board’s next meeting in October would not allow for the tree to be planted before the weather is too cold. She also pointed out that getting it planted in 2026 still allows the tree to be a part of the county’s 250th festivities.
“Unless we start moving forward with this, we’re not going to have the opportunity for this, and the tree will have to be put off (until) next year,” Pierog said at the meeting. “This would be the capstone of a year of celebration for Kane County.”
And, Pierog has said, the goal is for the county to have the corresponding plaque in time for a celebration around Veterans Day, which is on Nov. 11.
The measure under consideration Tuesday was intended to set the proposed site as the Judicial Center in St. Charles, rather than the Geneva courthouse, and also helps move the process along for getting the corresponding plaque, according to Pierog. The DAR requires a signed document from the county, which is the resolution discussed Tuesday, she said, and the matter can then go on to the national DAR, which makes the plaque.
Following the discussion, the board ultimately agreed on the measure proposing the Judicial Center, with only Gumz voting against it and board members Leslie Juby and Anita Lewis abstaining.
The conversation continued the following day at the board’s Administration Committee meeting, where the proposed location and other considerations were discussed.
Namely, the committee mulled two potential options for the site: a landscape wall around the tree, or a number of boulders placed around it instead.
The version with the landscape wall is projected to cost around $5,000 — $4,000 for the landscape wall itself and $1,000 for site preparation. Fahnestock said the alternative plan could be even less costly. The original “Declaration Square” proposal for the Geneva courthouse was projected to cost around half a million.
At that meeting, a couple board members indicated a preference for the boulders, and the committee appeared to be in consensus about the proposed site, as well as about the tentative site plan.