The Weisensel’s Camp Grant Museum

Stanley and Yolanda Weisensel

The Camp Grant Museum and Command Post Restaurant was a treasure trove of interesting history, told through actual artifacts of the men and women who served at Camp Grant. The museum owned by Stanley and Yolanda Weisensel was open for nearly twenty years. Yolanda kept the business open for a few years after Stanley’s passing in 2017, but finally closed the museum and restaurant in 2020. Yolanda died in April of 2024.

The Weisensels spent many years scouring the area on a quest to build a memorial to the people who spent time training at the Rockford camp before heading off to serve our country in World Wars I and II.

The Camp Grant Museum was housed in a building that was originally one of three fire stations that made up the fire department for the Camp. The fire protection for the “military city” included two hundred and sixty-two fire hydrants throughout the camp and 18,000 fire extinguishers placed in the various buildings for emergency use.

The museum was fascinating enough on its own, but the Weisensels were gems themselves. Yolanda was quite a storyteller and spent uncounted hours over many years researching the whole area that once was Camp Grant. Yolanda and Haunted Rockford operator Kathi Kresol shared a passion for history and they co-sponsored many events at the location.

Construction for Camp Grant began in July 1917, and by November of that year, 1,100 buildings had been constructed. It was designed to be a training site for infantry, engineers, machine gunners and artillery, and both enlisted men and officers were trained there.

It was virtually a small city, and even had its own fire department and police force. It also included a base hospital, a photography studio, a movie theater, and a parade ground. It totaled more than 5,000 acres. In its peak time, July of 1918, Camp Grant supported a total of 50,543 officers and enlisted men.

In the fall of 1918, the devastating Spanish flu hit the Rockford area. This was a worldwide epidemic that killed millions. Hundreds of thousands of people died in the United States, and Camp Grant was hit very hard. The first case was reported on Sept. 23, 1918. Three days later, there were more than 700 cases reported, and by the end of the month, more than 4,000 cases were reported.

Not much could be done to help the patients who came down with this dreaded disease. It swept quickly through the camp, and there were some 24-hour periods where more than 100 men died. Within nine days, 1,000 men perished, and within two weeks, the number would swell to more than 2,000 dead. The colonel who was in charge of Camp Grant at the time was so overwhelmed with the loss of his men that he committed suicide.

The camp was re-opened for World War II, and in August 1943, started to house German POWs, most of whom were members of the German Afrika corps or U-Boat sailors. These men were paid to work in the fields and canneries to help ease the shortage of men in the local area. Later, many of these prisoners would claim they were treated very well at the camp. Some of them would actually return to the area to live after the war.

Stanley and Yolanda Weisensel are gone now, and I really miss them, and miss going to their place for lunch. But their work will not be forgotten. In February 2025, Midway Village Museum opened a new permanent exhibit “You’re in the Army Now: Camp Grant, Rockford’s Legacy.” Many of the pieces in the exhibit have come from the Weisensel’s collection of artifacts and memorabilia from the Camp Grant Museum.

Photo Credits

timelessimagesphotorestoration.blogspot.com

pinterest.com

wwvets.org

Kevin Haas/Rock River Current

https://campgrantmuseum.weebly.com/

Wikipedia

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