Step Back in Time at Garfield Farm Museum's 1840s Days
What: 1840s Days featuring Archaeological Excavations When Sat - Sun June 11 -12, 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 7 under
Contact: 630 584-8485 or info@garfieldfarm.org
CAMPTON HILLS, IL: On Saturday, June 11th
and Sunday, June 12th from 12 - 4pm, visitors can discover what life
was like over 160 years ago during Garfield Farm Museum's 1840's Days.
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.
Visitors will have the opportunity to view an
archaeological excavation in progress near the site of the original log
cabin built in 1836. The dig will be conducted by Jim Yingst from the
Heartland Archaeological Research Program. Contact the museum if you
would like to become involved.
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. A bake sale will be held in the Atwell Burr House with
items lovingly baked by the museum's volunteers.
Admission to the 1840's Days 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.
For more information about Garfield Farm send an e-mail message to:
info@garfieldfarm.org or
call 630/584-8485.
