Stillman's Run Battle Site
Also known as: Battle Ground Memorial Park
Why it's listed
Battle Ground Memorial Park occupies a grassy, tree-lined knoll in Stillman Valley, Illinois, where twelve militiamen killed on May 14, 1832, lie in a common grave. Their deaths came during Stillman's Run, the first engagement of the Black Hawk War, when Illinois militia under Major Isiah Stillman fled and Captain John G. Adams's small unit stayed behind to cover the retreat. A fifty-foot Vermont granite monument, topped by an eight-foot militiaman figure, marks the spot. Four tablets name the dead and record the state funding of 1901. A veteran association formed in 1899 persuaded the Illinois legislature to appropriate $5,000, and the monument was dedicated June 11, 1902. The park is considered significant because the war cleared Native Americans from northwestern Illinois and opened it to permanent white settlement, and because the memorial shows how early commemorators viewed the militiamen. Abraham Lincoln is recorded as helping bury the dead. The village took over the site in 1919.
Significance in brief: The site is argued to be an important scene of the Black Hawk War, which opened northwestern Illinois to permanent white settlement. Stillman's Run was the war's first engagement. The memorial is also significant for its commemorative value, reflecting early efforts to honor frontier militiamen.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 83003587, listed December 8, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roosevelt and Spruce Sts., Stillman Valley |
|---|---|
| County | Ogle County |
| Listed | December 8, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83003587 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1832 and 1901 (specific dates given) |
| Architect / builder | J.H. Anderson (monument designer); Creo and Creo (sculptors of the militiaman figure) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Military |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair, altered, original site; owned by the Village of Stillman Valley and used as a park. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.10672, -89.17611 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 83003587.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7617248
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.