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Esther’s Well, Zion, IL.

It was 2012 when Arlene Grzesiak came to Zion after being given a vision to restore Esther’s Well, a site that had historically been a place of prayer, reflection and healing.  Arlene organized contractors and donors but at every turn, she was blocked and eventually gave up. City Commissioner Lloyd DeTienne introduced Arlene to Cheri Neal, Zion Township Supervisor. After hearing her story, Cheri knew that the reason Arlene couldn’t make her vision come to fruition. It had to be the residents of Zion who would need to come together to ‘re-dig the well’ as a monument of peace and continued reconciliation. She believed that when that day came, it would show that God was moving in Zion, Illinois.

For years, resident Virginia “Ginny” Adams quietly tended the site, pulling weeds and planting flowers around the old concrete fountain where she had once played as a child, with the help of her grandson, Ashton Hauser-Halcomb,
and friend, Claire Erickson.

But it was on May 4, 2022, that members of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Regent Karen Stiehr, Johnna Smith and Caron Smith, along with Susan Deedon of the “We Love Zion” Facebook group, met with Zion Park District staff at Esther’s Well to discuss the preservation of this historic site in the middle of Zion, Illinois, which was established by Dr. John Alexander Dowie.

Known throughout the world as a faith healer, Dr. Dowie founded Zion City, Illinois, with the intention of creating a utopian community.  With a vision of a “City of God,” Dowie purchased 6,500 acres in Lake County, IL on New Years Eve 1899 with incorporation as a city in July of 1901. Shiloh Park was a 200-acre plot in the middle of the city with Shiloh Spring located on site serving campers who were relocating to Zion, IL, many of whom came after being healed by Dr. Dowie.

On May 14, 1902,  a tragic accident occurred. Dr. Dowie’s daughter, Esther, a 21-year-old student at the University of Chicago, died from severe burns, caused by an alcohol fueled curling iron. The alcohol spilled, her hair caught fire and she died of her burns. Because alcohol of any kind was prohibited by Dr. Dowie, she had locked the doors of her room, which delayed any assistance efforts.

In deep grief, Dr. Dowie dedicated Shiloh Spring as Esther’s Well on July 12, 1902, as documented in the Leaves of Healing, as a place where “Living Water” would flow. The site drew people for prayer vigils and was known as a peaceful place of prayer, healing and contemplation. However, corrosion and scale from the hard water forced the well’s closure sometime in the 1940s.

DAR Little Fort Chapter members led the charge of cleaning up the site in June 2022.

Ironically, three members of the Little Fort Chapter of DAR, Etta Proeber, Karen Stiehr, and Virginia Lopez share a personal connection to this history. They are the granddaughter and two great- granddaughters of Ida May Evans, Esther’s nurse when she passed.  Evans was burned while trying to save Esther, trying to  break through the locked door of the burning room. This is documented in the obituary of her husband, LeRoy Evans.

The DAR members completed their work just before July 4, 2022, the day the tragedy of the Highland Park 4th of July shooting took place. The Superintendent of the Zion Elementary School District and her two sons were among those shot, with the youngest left paralyzed as a result. On July 8, resident Shirley Adams, a Prayer Warrior and Cheri Neal, along with school personnel and residents organized a daily prayer vigil at 10:14a.m. around the well, the exact time of the shooting. It was a perfect location to gather, with DAR’s initial efforts to clean up the site.

On July 9, Zion Township Supervisor Cheri Neal recalled seeing an article in the Leaves of Healing that documented the commissioning of Esther’s Well on July 12, 1902. She contacted Zion City Commissioner and Pastor Mike McDowell of Christ Community Church, and together they decided to organize a meeting on July 12 – exactly 120 years to the day, to discuss the possibility of restoring the well.

Zion Park District Director Eric Bradley gave Pastor Mike McDowell and Cheri Neal permission to move forward with a plan, agreeing not to reconnect the well, but instead to install a fountain in the abandoned well.

A formal restoration proposal titled, “Living Water”, Esther’s Well Restoration Project, was presented to the Zion Park District Board on July 21, 2022, by Pastor McDowell. The request was unanimously approved, and fundraising efforts were launched to raise $50,000.

From there, the community came alive:

On July 12, 2023, exactly 121 years after the original dedication, residents gathered in pouring rain—under tornado warnings—for the rededication of the well. Despite the pouring rain, a large crowd, including Mayor Billy McKinney, city officials, and over a hundred community members, surrounded the fountain and recited the Lord’s Prayer. Gibbie Buchholtz was there to record the event.

 

 

On the day of the opening, Zion resident Felicia Lewis brought to the attention of the Park Board that the original design was not accessible to people with physical disabilities. The Zion Park District responded by contracting Paul Bricco to install a sidewalk ramp from the parking lot to the fountain, along with a curb cut for wheelchairs and walkers.  It was the dedication of the Zion Park District and Felicia Lewis’s advocacy for people with disabilities that ensured that Esther’s Well became a place of reflection and healing accessible to everyone.

 

 

In June 2025, Jayden Richards earned his Eagle Scout Award by overseeing the design and installation of benches.

Around the same time, ZBTHS students Nelson García and Alexis Lagunas, under the advisement of teacher Shawn Davis, built a prayer pedestal to collect written intentions.

Additional enhancements sponsored by City of Hope included:

 

This multi-year, community-led restoration brought together:

Together, they raised over $50,000 to restore Esther’s Well.

 

On June 26, 2025, the site was nationally honored as the National DAR Historic Preservation Winner, recognizing its outstanding restoration as a place of spiritual and historical significance.

Today, Esther’s Well stands as a peaceful place for reflection, healing, and prayer beneath the oak canopy of Shiloh Park.

The list below of all who contributed to the recommissioning of Esther’s Well proves that what Cheri told Arlene back in 2012 was indeed true: it truly took the residents of Zion coming together to ‘re-dig the well’ as a symbol of peace and continued reconciliation.

 

 

 

Now to watch God move …

 

Esther’s Well Contributors

Abel Bastida Dave McCleary Jeremy Richards Mike and Chris Smith Susan Clark
Adrian G David & Rhonda Galvan Jim and Jeanine Richards Mike & Donna McDowell Susan Finch
Alan Steele David Knabel Jim Duncan Mike Mora Susan Lehman
Alejandra Diaz David Lehman Jim Smith Mircea Hansa Susan Stoodt
Alice Johnson David Wonderland Jimmie Smith Mollie Grulke Sydney Pederson
Alicia McCoy David Woodall Joan Morris Mona Armstrong Tamera Williams
Amanda Trice Dawn Giltner John Korpi Monica Sims Tammy Plowman
Amy Onan Dawn Kurhajec John Warren Mt. Olivet Memorial Park Teri Thomas
Amy Ratcliff Debbie Morton Schleicher Jon Hiltibran Nann Blaine-Hilyard Terryl Rajcevich
Andrew & Katie Woodard Debbie V. Jonathan Adam Nancy Aguilar Tim Arneson
Angela Hoskins Denise Copening Jose Laboy Nancy Bjork Tim Bartlett
Angela Kin Denise and Roman Hrynewycz Joshua Powell Nancy Frederick Tim Hatten
Angela Peet Diane McCleary Juanita Byas Nancy Sponenburg Tim Ranta
Angela Washington Diane Ranta Judith Williams Nayeli Cardenas Tom Alvord
Anonymous Diane Reinhard June Dixon Nelda Nelson Tony Hodges
April Boothe Donna Durbin Justin Stried Nicole Boton Tracy Edmonds
Armando Cardenas Dori Garcia K. Goodwin Nina Adams Trinity Christian Church
Artemio Acosta Dorothy Mack Karen Randazzo Nina Mauejer Ty Schwartz
Barbara Jarrett Ed Gersol Karen Stiehr Noah Furr Venita Wilson
Beatrice Topps Ed and Kelly Spohr Kari Farias Pastor Ken Fielding Vince Mack
Becky Seppala Edgar Padilla Kathy Burt Pastor Tim and Judy Eddy Vinny Powell
Belinda Balay Edna Alvord Kathy McElmurray Pat Chaplicky Virginia ‘Ginny’ Adams
Belinda Shogren Ellen Smith Keith Brown Pat Harrison Virginia Valencia
Beth Anderson Emma Clark Keith Randolph Pat Laird Von Markadonis
Bette Jo Ohmstead Eric Tjader Kenyari Bellfield Paul LLoyd Wanda Elrod
Bill Adams Erica Durkee Kissy Lopez Peter Wright Rumy and Wendy Driver
Bill Hartman Etta Proeber Kristen Cade Phillisha Darby Wendy McCloskey
Bob Burt Faye McDowell Kubic Family Ralph Dixon William Adams
Bob Duffy Fernando Ben L. Bartlett Ray Peeples Yolanda Martinez
Bob Pushee Fran Duncan Lakiesha Williams RD Driver Yolanda McCray
Bolen Mora Fred Calvert Latasha Shockley Rebecca Wright Zion ESDA
Bottomline Innovators, LLC Gail Posey Laura Murrie Regina Orawiec Zion Park District
Brenda Jones Gail Sargent Lety Venega Renee Isley Zion Township
Brian Klassman Gary and Gail Lloyd Linda Bark Renee Turner Zion Womans’ Club
Brenda Latz Gemma Powell Linda Phifer Pat Chaplicky
Brian Zalar Gena Strongman Linda Yearod Pat Laird
Busch Family Georgia Hall Lisa Gauze Paul LLoyd
Byron Peel Gibbie Buchholtz Liz Grulke Peter Wright
Carmen Garcia Gina Palmer Lolis Flores Phillisha Darby
Carol Bartlett Gloria Hermon Lorna Yates Ralph Dixon
Carolyn Rivers Great Lakes Church Lou Benson Ray Peeples
Cathy Gord Henry Tamez Lou Ferland Sadie Stahl
Cayce Cavalari Illinois Sunrise Rotary Club Magnolia Hudson Sandra Heathcote
Chanita Fowler It’s All Good Morning Guys Margie Ostrowski Sandra Pink
Cheri Neal Ita Smith Margot Woodall Sandra Usher
Chery Landry Jack and Jane Littlefield Maria Esquivel Sandy Dickson
Mike and Cheryl Tanner Jaclyn Hall Maribel Marseou Sandy Galgan
Chris Porter Jacob Christ Marlene Santella Deninno
Christ Community Church James and Donna Pouche Mary Barclay Sara Wright
Christian Faith Church James Wheeler Mary Bell Shari Kennedy
Christopher Brown James York Mary Bernardy Sheree Nordland
Clark Clyde Jane Beem Mary Hiltibran Sherom Martin
Connie Standridge Janet Solis Mary Lou Hiltibran Sheryl Goodwin Magiera
Conny Ramos Jared Lear Mary Peel Shirley Adams
Crystal Smith Jean Anderson Mary Pizano Shirley Adams
Culver’s of Zion Jean DeGraw Mary Richard Stanley Capthers
Cyntia Henshaw Jeanne and Matt Engle Mary Smith Steven and Carol Capp
D & P Building Corporation Jeff Cleveland Megan Maher Steven Drory
Damen Scott Jeff Thiel Mel Powell Steven Fogle
Dan McCloskey Jeffrey Liu Melchor Peel Sue Carey
Danny & Shelley Myers Jejuann James Melissa DeGrazio Sue Huebner
Daryl Albert Jeremy Peel Melissa Smith Sue and Mike Jaworek
Dave Adams Jerod Ramsey Michelle Pederson Sunshine

 

 

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