Is Walnut Acres Being Sold to Benefit Freeport’s Seniors—Or the Chesney Family?

FREEPORT, IL – June 20, 2025

When the Stephenson County Board approved a $1.5 million offer from Serenity Estates to purchase Walnut Acres—the only publicly owned nursing home in the county—the justification was framed as a solution to financial instability and declining census. But in politics—especially local politics—the truth is often in the shadows, not the headlines.

Because the more you connect the dots, the clearer the picture becomes: the proposed sale of Walnut Acres appears to be less about “saving” a struggling nursing home, and more about aligning the stars for private developers, political dynasties, and backroom deals—including one family with a long history of trying to reshape Freeport in their own image: the Chesneys.