Barns 101 Lecture at Garfield Farm Museum
Campton Hills, IL- Want to learn more about historic
barns? Attend Barns 101 at Garfield Farm Museum on Sunday, October 21st at
2pm. The lecture, given by museum staff member, Dave Bauer, will provide a
general overview of historic barns.
This is the last generation that will have
known barns as part of the rural landscape. With the changes in agriculture
most barns now no longer meet the demands of large machinery or the decline
of livestock on the typical farm. As a result, forces of nature,
consolidation of small farms into large farms, economics, and the passage of
time is totally eliminating what was once such a dominate feature of the
American countryside.
The lecture will include discussions on basic barn
terminology, the evolution of barn types, and the differences between modern
and historic barns. The talk will also cover Garfield Farm’s historic barns
and how they fit in with Kane County’s other historic rural
structures. The lecture will conclude with an optional tour of the
1842 hay and grain barn and the 1849 horse barn.
Over the last few years, the museum has put a lot
of work into restoring the 1842 barn, its oldest existing structure. The
south wall was restored and repairs were made to 168 year old cracked
timbers and to upright posts damaged by a 2005 lightening strike.
Also, a new roof made from 30 inch long white oak shingles was completed. In
1842 there was still an abundance of wood so long shingles were made but by
1849 as evidenced in the museum’s horse barn, shorter 16 inch shingles were
used. More funds will be raised to continue the entire barns restoration.
Interested donors should contact the farm.
The cost for the
lecture is $6 per person and refreshments will be provided. Reservations can
be made by contacting 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.
