Step Back in Time at Garfield Farm Museum’s 1840’s Day

 What: 1840’s Day
When Sun June 16, Noon – 4 pm
Who: Garfield Farm Museum
Where: for GPS only: 3N016 Garfield Road Campton Hills, IL 60175
Price: $6 for adults $3 for children 12 years & under
Contact: 630 584-8485 or info@garfieldfarm.org

CAMPTON HILLS, IL:      On Sunday, June 16th from 12-4pm, visitors can discover what life was like over 160 years ago during Garfield Farm Museum’s 1840’s Day. The event offers children and adults the opportunity to learn about their rural heritage through guided tours and period demonstrations. 

Life in the 1840’s was very different than it is today. Farm families, like the Garfield Family had to survive without electricity, running water, and many other modern conveniences. Farm work and household chores were physically demanding and there was always more work to be done. During the event, visitors will be able to experience daily life in the mid 19th century through period demonstrations by costumed interpreters.

          The restored 1846 brick inn will be open for tours. Visitors will be able to see the kitchen, ladies parlor, taproom, ballroom, and customers’ bedroom. Highlights of the tour include many original Garfield family items, such as, the spinning wheel that the family brought with them from Vermont when they moved to Illinois. The tour often sparks conversations between family members as they recall childhood recollections of growing up on a farm.

          In addition to the brick inn, visitors will be able to walk through the museum’s historic barns. The 1842 barn is the oldest building on the property. Although damaged by a lightning strike in 2005, this historic structure has survived and work continues on its restoration. The 1849 horse barn is almost fully restored and was built to house the horses that belonged to customers staying at the inn.

          Children will delight in seeing the museum’s farm animals. These include mostly rare heritage breeds of chickens, turkeys, sheep, hogs, and oxen. Visitors can also tour the museum’s prairie, giving them a chance to reconnect with nature while learning about native plants and the impact of human development on the landscape.

           Admission to the 1840’s Day event is $6 for adults and $3 for children. For event information, contact the museum at (630) 584-8485 or info@garfieldfarm.org. Garfield Farm Museum is a 370 acre historically intact former 1840’s prairie farmstead and teamster inn that volunteers and donors are preserving as an 1840’s living history museum. The museum is located 5 miles west of Geneva, Illinois off ILL Route 38 on Garfield Road.