RACINE — Along the shores of Lake Michigan, thousands of soldiers once trained to fight for the nation's future. Now, a new plaque gifted by Preservation Racine formally recognizes that ground in Racine.
Dozens gathered for a ceremony near the intersection of Main Street and Wisconsin Avenue on Thursday to commemorate Camp Utley.
Watch: Community gathers to mark Racine's former Civil War campsite
Camp Utley was Wisconsin's second-largest Union soldier training ground during the Civil War, second in size only to Madison's Camp Randall.
The site, which was once 75-acre private farmland, was converted into a Union soldier camp during the Civil War and named for Wisconsin's Adjutant General William Utley.
"We remind ourselves of our national history, we remind ourselves of our state history, and we also have a local history, but none of those should be studied in a vacuum," said Steve Rogstad, a member of Preservation Racine who spoke at Thursday's ceremony.
He said, as a result, Racine's history plays a role in our nation's history.
"Commemorating a camp like this, it's important, because we were feeding the state, which was feeding the federal government with soldiers, to fight the Civil War," Rogstad said.
Thursday's plaque unveiling came as our nation marks 250 years.
"A lot of people are reflecting on the things that have made our country and who we are, what we are," said Bill May of the Veterans Center and Legacy Museum in Racine.
May attended the ceremony as a representative of William Utley. Utley was known as an abolitionist colonel who protected escaped slaves who followed his troops before he arrived in Racine, where he ultimately lived and died.
"These are the streets and the places he walked and talked to his men," May said.
Utley died in 1887 and is buried in Racine's Mound Cemetery.
For May, a veteran himself, remembering the site is also an opportunity to remember Union soldiers and their service.
"A lot of what they experienced is, although different relative to the time, it's still similar in the sense that they went through it together," May said. "And if you study the history of the Civil War veterans and the people who entered the Civil War from this area, you begin to learn a lot about the people, and how they think about things and how they feel about things, and it helps give you some perspective as well."
Rev. Darren Utley, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Racine, the ceremony was an opportunity to connect to his own personal history.
"When I first started thinking about coming here as a call to First Presbyterian Church, I found out that there was this Colonel Utley that was here. And then I found out that we were related distantly," he said. "Ever since then, I've been looking into his story and getting to know him a little bit better."
Beyond the familial connection, Colonel Utley's story is one that compels Rev. Darren Utley, who does social justice work throughout southeastern Wisconsin.
"His story, and what he stood for, really inspires and resonates with me," Utley said.
Utley said commemorating the site is an opportunity to honor Racine's history of abolitionist ideals.
"That's what kind of brought me here in the first place is that people might want to hear and recognize their abolitionist history and figure out what it means for them today," Utley said.
That spirit was on display Thursday and carried added weight as America marks a significant milestone.
"America 250 gives us an opportunity to really reflect and remember that, 'Yes, we are only 250 years old.' And do we want to be around another 250 years? Well, what do we have to do to make sure that happens?" Rogstad said.
Rogstad offered a challenge to residents looking to honor that legacy.
"Think of one thing you could do this year to make America better and pursue that with all the gusto you have," Rogstad said.
The plaque commemorating Camp Utley and the soldiers who fought for freedom is one way Racine residents are working to carry that legacy forward.
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