CABIN'S HISTORY
Built in 1835
The log cabin was built by Fidelis and Euphrosine Schwendeman, who came from Baden, Germany. The pair married in 1835 at St. Charles Borromeo Church. The cabin was constructed originally on a farm in St. Peters, MO. As time passed a frame building was constructed around the cabin. When it was decided to tear down the structure, they found the cabin nestled inside.
Glen Bishop offered to have the cabin moved to his property, the current location at 305 Morgan Street, in the 1980’s. Bishop's contributions to the town are so vast that The City of St. Charles named the Missouri riverfront area housing the Lewis & Clark Boat House and Nature Center Bishop’s Landing in his honor. The Schwendeman family still thrives in the St. Charles area.
ABOUT CAMP MILL POND
Camp Mill Pond is a throwback to the slow, easy rhythm of hot summer days and late night secrets. This cabin is full of campfire Wes Anderson inspiration with a touch of whimsy, connectivity to our historic area, and of course nature. The cabin sits on a beautiful large lot, shared with the original three-story house, which was built in 1865, and a two-story carriage house. This land can be dated back to the early history of St. Charles when it was under the ownership of French settlers, the Lacroix, in 1797.
It also sits within the St. Charles Frenchtown neighborhood, which is a short walk to Main Street. Frenchtown owes its name to the early French settlers who founded St. Charles and to our distinctive style of architecture. The district has the largest concentration of French Colonial-style architecture in the Midwest. For this reason the district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Several historic homes in the area still retain their summer kitchens: small detached brick buildings used for cooking, washing laundry, and smoking meats as well as brick carriage houses.
ABOUT US
Hi, we are the proud owners of this cute little gem! Maybe it is the fact that we never went to a proper summer camp growing up that led us to purchase this stunner, but either way we can't wait to have you stay at Camp Mill Pond! Our family lives in the white home near the cabin, which was built on the property back in 1865. So if you need anything during your stay, don't hesitate to ask!
We've lovingly worked hard to restore this property back to the days when maybe the world could take a deep breath a little bit more. We hope that on your visit you'll be able to relax and unwind in peace.
Only good vibes at this cabin!
Pssst...this is also a really family-friendly street, so you'll probably see our kids running around with the neighborhood kids or hear them waving down the ice cream truck.
Our best,
James and Meghan Reed
WHY THE NAME?
The cabin is called Mill Pond as a tribute to Weeke, the original owner and builder of the large white home that shares the property with Camp Mill Pond. Weeke had a pond and spring that ran his mill, Weeke Flour Mill, on the 900 block of 2nd street. Interesting fact, the mill was originally called Weeke Mill as he was very proud of his name. Unfortunately, the market didn’t want to purchase Weeke Flour and due to low sales, he later changed the name to Snow Ball Flour.
What happened to the mill? All was well until January 1870 when the city decided to put sidewalks and gutters on Morgan Street. This meant he lost 10 feet of his land which included the creek known as Duquette creek. This also included the pond and spring know as Duquette. With the creek filled in, this left the Weeke factory high and dry. He later borrowed money and tried to rebuild his business with another mill near Main Street before selling that property due to heavy debt. The Weeke mansion was then also sold around that time in January 1891.