The following is a collection of articles written by CCHS members, many of which were originally published in the Camden News.

The Camden Community Historical Society

by Jennifer Valley

Recently, a random group of past and present Camden residents came together and formed the Camden Community Historical Society. This unlikely bunch ranges in age from 20-something to 90-something. Men, women, working, retired. All with a passion for uncovering and sharing the rich history of the Camden Community.

The mission of the Camden Community Historical Society (CCHS) is to research, document, and archive the history of the Camden Community in a fun and welcoming way. Their goals are to: 1) research, document, and archive Camden history, 2) find fun ways to share and display their results, 3) keep the group fun and interesting, and 4) create long-term sustainability.

The group has uncovered quite a bit so far. They are sharing what they find through stories, booths at community events, and on their website (www.camdenhistory.org). Perhaps you’ve enjoyed a few recent Camden News articles written by some of the group members. While some long-term goals include writing a book or two, you can look forward to some historical walking tours next spring. Group members have also considered a “gathering of elders” event where long-term Camden residents talk about growing up in the neighborhood. A possible intergenerational history project might also be worked out with some high school students later this year.

“Basically, we want to work towards achieving the group’s goals in whatever ways are most fun and interesting to the members of the group and to the community,” says Jennifer Valley, one of the CCHS founding members. “In case you didn’t notice, the word ‘fun’ is in our mission and goals 3 separate times.” The group itself is pretty casual. They meet on the second Saturday of every month from 11-2. Folks usually bring a snack to share and there is always coffee. After dispensing with some agenda items, group members share their latest discoveries from various archives or their most recent Camden trinket purchased on eBay.

“Everyone is welcome.” Encourages Dick Carlson, another CCHS group member who is also involved with the Mississippi Courts Historical Society. “It doesn’t matter how much you already know or how involved you want to become. What matters is that you share a curiosity for uncovering the history of Camden.”

The next CCHS group meeting is on November 12th, 2005 at North United Methodist Church.

Charles Loring

by Jeremiah Bohn

Charles Morgridge Loring, the namesake of Loring School and Loring Park, first president of the Minneapolis Park Board, one-time mayoral candidate, and champion and benefactor of the Victory Memorial Drive, was born on 13 November,1833, to Horace and Sarah Loring in Portland, Maine. His father was a sea captain, and Charles followed in his footsteps for a time. Eventually, however, he was drawn to travel inland, first to Milwaukee, then Chicago, and finally to Minneapolis, where we went into business, eventually settling on Minneapolis’ booming milling industry.

It was as a mill owner, most notably of the Minnetonka mill near St. Anthony Falls, that Loring made his fortune. It was this connection to the falls that brought him into the park system. In 1866, Minnehaha Avenue was surveyed as a route from the falls to Fort Snelling. Loring, along with other businessmen, personally planted trees along the new thoroughfare, and became involved in the development of Murphy Square, the first park in the city of Minneapolis, located on 22nd Ave and 7th St south. Loring planted the trees and laid out the paths for the new park with Edward Murphy, the landowner who had donated the land to the city.

The next 16 years saw Loring elected to the position of 5th Ward alderman, leading the Board of Trade, and expanding his business holdings to include several flour mills, merchandising interests, and large holdings in real estate. In 1882, land was donated to the city by the heirs of Franklin Steele, founder of St. Anthony, with the express condition that Loring would develop a park on it. Also at this time, the Minneapolis Park Board was established after a bitterly fought referendum, and Loring was named its president.

It was in the role of Park Board President that Loring began to develop and act upon his philosophy of public parks as a means of assuring a high quality of life for the citizens of the city. During his nine year tenure, Minneapolis added 36 parks to the 3 already existing, for a total of 39, an increase of over 1,400 acres of parkland. He also pushed for the Park Board to open its own boat rental and refreshment concessions as a means of partially subsidizing the costs of the park system. In 1890, Central Park was renamed Loring Park in his honor.

His philosophy is probably best captured in A Plea for the Planting of Memorial Trees in Memory of our Dead Heroes and for Beautifying our State Highways, written in 1919. In the book, Loring writes in great detail about the Memorial Tree movement around the country, and notes that Minneapolis had already begun work on the Memorial Drive (at Loring’s insistence), which was to have “native boulders… …placed at intervals along the drive, on which will be placed bronze tablets with the names of the dead heroes engraved thereon.” He further states that the drive would cost over $100,000 dollars, with $50,000 having been given by “a citizen” in trust for its maintenance. He fails only to mention that the citizen in question was Loring himself, who had also paid for the elm trees that eventually were planted to mark the plaques.

Loring’s last public appearance was on June 11, 1921, at the dedication of the Memorial Drive he had worked so hard to build. He passed away on March 18, 1922, and was buried in Lakewood Cemetery. In 1924, a new wooden school was built along the Memorial Drive (to be replaced in 1928 with a brick building), and only one namesake could be suitable- Charles M. Loring.

Lincoln and the Victory Memorial Drive

by Buzzy Bohn

In March of 1917 the Minneapolis posts of the Grand Army of the Republic formed a corporation named “The Lincoln Monument Association of Minneapolis, Minnesota.” These Civil War veterans wanted to erect a statue to honor President Abraham Lincoln. Less than a month later when the United States entered WWI their efforts were put on hold and their energies were turned toward supporting the war effort. After WWI, they again tried raising the $100,000 they thought they would need for the statue. By 1924, however, they had only raised $845.55 and dissolved the association.

In the meantime, the Minneapolis Park Board at the urging of former board president Charles Loring, and parks Superintendent Theodore Wirth decided to create the Victory Memorial Drive. The dedication of the Drive was held on June 11, 1921. 1,217 Elm trees were planted on the Drive, 568 of them were dedicated to the WWI dead of Hennepin County.

In 1924, at the request of the ten Hennepin County posts of the Grand Army of the Republic and also supported by the American Legion, a memorial tree was planted in honor of each post. These ten posts of the Minnesota Department of the GAR were Appomatox Post No.72, Jacob Schaeffer Post No.163, John A. Rawlins Post No.126, William Downs Post No.68, William Mortimer Post No.192, L.P. Plummer Post No.50, George N. Morgan Post No.4, Dudley P. Chase Post No.22, Levi Butler Post No.73, and James Bryant Post No.119. These trees formed the “Grand Army Circle” and were part of the Victory Memorial Drive.

Only about 125 of the original 3000 members of the ten posts were left by 1929, but they were finally able to have the statue of Abraham Lincoln erected in the Grand Army Circle on the Drive. The statue’s body is a replica of the St. Gaudens statue of Lincoln in Chicago and the head was modeled by Max Bachman. On May 25, 1930 the statue of Abraham Lincoln was dedicated thanks to the tireless efforts of the remaining members of the Grand Army of the Republic.

May 2005 marks the 75th anniversary of the Abraham Lincoln statue. A “Lincolns for Lincoln” fund drive is being planned to raise money to do some restoration work on the statue and to plant formals gardens on that site.

As Memorial Day approaches, we should all take time to think of those from both the Civil War and World War I for whom these memorials are dedicated and also those who’s hard work and vision made these beautiful memorials possible.