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News from Garfield Farm |
On Saturday, June 12th and Sunday, June 13th 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 demonstrations. The museum will also hold a Homespun
Summer Market from 12-6pm both days featuring arts and crafts from
local artisans.
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 interested in digging up the past
will have an opportunity to view an archaeological dig in progress near
the site of the original log cabin built in 1836. Contact the museum if
you would like to become involved.
Children will delight in seeing the museum’s
farm animals. These include rare heritage breeds of chickens, turkeys,
geese, 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.
The Homespun Summer Market will be held in the
museum’s visitor center, the Atwell Burr House, and will run from
12-6pm. The market features a wide variety of arts and crafts, such as
pottery, household items, and many others. A percentage of the profits
will be donated to the museum. A bake sale is also featured at the
market, with goods donated by museum volunteers.
Admission to the 1840’s Days event is $6
for adults and $3 for children. There is no charge to attend the summer
market. 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.