Camp Harlan-Camp McKean Historic District

Men who volunteered to serve in the Civil War gathered in designated sites called rendezvous camps to train and be organized into army regiments. There were 27 of these camps in Iowa including at this farm near Mount Pleasant. The camp was first known as Camp Harlan, which operated from September 1861 to February 1862, and was used to organize the 4th Iowa Cavalry. It was later known as Camp McKean from August to November 1862 and used to organize the 25th Iowa Infantry. The farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Camp Harlan-Camp McKean Historic District. The site includes a historic house and springhouse built around 1854 and the site of the camp, which is located in the field southeast of the farm buildings. There is also a memorial to the camp at the intersection of Courtland Street and Hickory Avenue. It consists of a large boulder with a bronze historical marker, two additional historical markers, and a flagpole.

The house and springhouse were built by Hugh B. Swan, who was born in 1816 and moved with his family to Henry County in 1853. Both were built of brick and rest on stone foundations. Swan likely used stone from a quarry on the property but it appears he bought the bricks. The house features elements of the Greek Revival and Italianate styles.

Camp Harlan was named after Senator James Harlan who would later establish the Harlan House Hotel in Mount Pleasant. He served as president of Iowa Wesleyan College from 1853 to 1855 and was also a good friend and advisor of President Abraham Lincoln. Harlan requested that the 4th Iowa Cavalry be organized in Mount Pleasant, arguing that men from Iowa were skilled horsemen and that Iowa horses were best suited for war. He also ensured that the horses would be supplied locally. Camp Harlan was one of only two camps in the state named after a non-military Iowan. It had barracks, stables, officer and staff quarters, and a parade ground. By February 1862 when they received orders to move to St. Louis, there were over 1,000 men at the camp. During the war, the regiment participated in several battles including the Siege of Vicksburg.

Camp McKean was likely named after Brigadier General Thomas J. McKean, who was serving under General Grant in the Army of the Tennessee at the time. It was established in response to President Lincoln's call for 600,000 more troops after Union victories in 1862 (Lincoln believed that the additional troops would be enough to win the war). By the time the 25th Infantry departed in November for St. Louis, the regiment had a total of 995 men and officers. It participated in several battles as well including the Siege of Vicksburg and the Battle of Lookout Mountain.

The Swan family owned the farm until the 1893 when Swan sold it to his son-in-law, John N. Neal. Neal owned it until 1903 when he sold it to stock farmer William B. Seeley, who named it Springdale Stock Farm. Seeley served one term as a state senator and had ties to local banks. He did not live on the farm but instead lived in a house in Mount Pleasant.

For many years after the war, veterans from both regiments held annual reunions at the former camp. The 50th anniversary was held in 1911. In 1930, the local chapter of the Daughters of Union Veterans installed the boulder in 1930. The farm appears to have remained largely unchanged over the years, including the field where the regiments were located.

McCarley, Rebecca Lawin. "Camp Harlan-Camp McKean Historic District." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. January 2, 2013. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/12001117_text.