EVANSTON — The Phillips family has owned, managed and operated Phillips RV Park for 90 years, and it has been a vital part of the Evanston business community. The physical face of the business has changed over those 90 years; however, the dedication and hard work of the Phillips family have made a lasting impression on residents and visitors alike.
Phillips RV Park is one of the two oldest RV parks in the nation that have been owned and operated by the same family with no outside employees.
The members of the Phillips family now involved with the business are second-generation owner Joyce Phillips, 92; Joyce’s daughter Darla Phillips; and Darla’s two children, Brian and Courtney. When the Herald asked the family what they were doing to celebrate the RV park’s 90th anniversary, Darla Phillips responded.
“We have gift bags at the office to give customers when they check in. The bags contain bookmarks and pens with our business information on them. We give them tokens that they can bring when they return for a second visit. At that time, they can flip the token and receive either a 5% or 15% discount,” Darla said. “We also have a punch card we give to the 90th customer who can use it for a free fourth visit. Also, every 90th customer this summer gets 90% off the fee for the space.”
Visitors who stay at Phillips RV Park receive a handout with instructions on where to park and terms of service. Also on the handout is a brief history of the RV park property written by the Phillips family.
In the spring of 1936, Bona Elbert Phillips and his wife, Maggie, established the Phillips Camp, a Sinclair service station and the family home on the property where the RV park sits in Evanston today.
Bona died that same year, leaving Maggie with five children to raise and a business to run.
At that time, gas cost 19 cents per gallon and ethyl cost 21 cents per gallon. Besides gas, the business offered seven trailer spaces, tent camping and 11 cabins with adjacent garages open to customers traveling the Lincoln Highway. Customers shared a community bath and shower house with running well water.
In 1945, the gas station was removed, and the business was renamed Phillips Cabins.
At that time, cabins rented for $1.25 per night, or $1.50 with linens. The cabins were heated with coal stoves, and because there was no running water, water had to be carried to the rooms. Trailer spaces rented for 25 cents per night.
The name of the business was changed to Phillips Motel and Trailer Park in 1947.
At that time, six of the cabins were moved to the front of the property and added to the existing five cabins and garages — all of which were then turned into motel rooms — making a total of 15 rooms. Electricity, heating and water were installed in the rooms, and individual bathrooms were added, making them more modern.
In 1955, Maggie Phillips’ son Ranold Phillips married Joyce Guild and became manager of the business. Throughout the following years, their three daughters were involved with the business until they graduated from high school.
In the late ’50s, color TVs were added to all the rooms, and a laundry building was added with a wringer washer and one dryer. Later, three washers and a dryer were installed.
In 1968, 28 full-hookup spaces were added to the park.
At that time, the charge for a room with one bed was $4.50 per night, and a room with two beds cost $8 per night.
In 1983, a new restroom building and laundromat with six washers and three dryers were built. Then big changes came in 1985, when the motel rooms were torn down and the name of the business was changed to Phillips RV Park.
At that time, 17 additional full-hookup spaces were added, and during the late ’80s, the old laundry room was turned into an internet room for customers.
Underground sprinklers were installed in the 1990s, replacing the above-ground system, and the park office was enlarged and remodeled.
During the 2000s, cable TV, wireless internet and a new playground were installed. Over the course of eight years, more than 300 cottonwood trees were cut down because of old age and disease, and new cottonwoods were planted.
From 1936 to the present, four generations of the Phillips family have worked together to improve and maintain Phillips RV Park. For more than 30 years, Darla Phillips, a third-generation family member, has managed the business with the help of her parents and her children, Courtney and Brian, who are fourth-generation Phillips family members.
Darla and her son, Brian, now manage day-to-day operations at the RV park. Courtney manages the business website and technical duties.
Today, Phillips RV Park has 56 full-hookup spaces, and the family recently installed more underground sprinklers, improved the dog run and built a waterfall.
“Next summer, our project is to restore the old barn which was part of a chicken farm the family had back in 1936,” Darla said. “We want to paint it red with white trim.”
Anyone viewing Phillips RV Park and the adjoining house and land can see that the family works very hard, as the property is clean, well maintained and beautiful. On the history handout the family gives customers, the Phillips family asks an important question: “The family business has seen many changes since the first day of operation, what will the future hold for this family legacy?”
