Saying goodbye by my family's home

Sometimes in life you must mark a moment so important that to leave it to the passage of time would seem a dishonor. After 34 years in residence, my family is leaving our homestead in Barrington Hills. This is my farewell to her and my attempt to honor her stately history through my wistful words and fond anecdotes.

In the summer of 1981, this very special house brought together two large families, the Kennedys and the Catalanos. Her name is Applebee Trace. The female personification that I have given her is the result my affection for her. Like a mother to a child, she has held my family and nourished us for more than three decades.

We came to her as a result of an amalgamation of 21 children by marriage. Both families left the tree-lined sidewalks of Park Ridge to band together in the pastoral setting of Applebee Trace. She was our fresh start and from here we rode out the choppy waters of life and sailed blissfully on the smooth ones.

Her 165 year-old foundation sits back from Old Sutton road and rises into a splendid white clapboard beauty. Classic in her farmhouse features and elegant in her simple lines she sits on almost 7 idyllic acres. Tall trees dance around her exterior and beds of vibrant flowers embrace her foundation. Her front porch swing and grand old flagpole invite passersby to wonder what lies within her walls. She is old, but she is a beauty; an heirloom of a bygone era.

In 1838, her settlers, the Applebee family, came from New York to this area on covered wagons. The patriarch, Gilbert Applebee, bought up acres of property and settled what is one of the oldest known farms in the area. It was then she became known as Applebee Trace.

This historic original farmhouse was built in the 1850's, more than a decade before the Village of Barrington was established. Predating the Civil War, Applebee Trace has held a front row seat to much of our nation's history. Holding court on her level expanse, she has seen a few additions and renovations in her time, yet her sturdy original frame and foundation still stand.

In the 34 years that my family has been trustees of this historic parcel and home, we have shared a lot of history and firsts with her. She has been the backdrop of a Hollywood movie, television commercials, a parade, weddings, and that's only during my family's tenure.

The state of Illinois used her long driveway to usher in the 1985 seatbelt law. Hallmark used her gentile exteriors to sell its greeting cards. Hollywood's DreamWorks used her whole façade in the 2000 movie "Road to Perdition" starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. She was the ending point of the first ever parade in Barrington Hills, when in 1991 we welcomed back our brave brother Sean from the Persian Gulf War. Flying sorties above the dangerous skies of Iraq, we honored Sean with a parade filled with marching friends and family from Donlea Road back to Applebee Trace.

My memories will forever be dotted across her land, where we celebrated life with weddings, pool parties, bonfires, and holidays. It was here that I learned a nurturing hand, tending to the many cherished horses, rabbits, chickens, goats, cats and dogs…not to mention the fishponds and beautiful gardens.

For 34 years, my mother would chart our world from the bow of her kitchen. This was the heartbeat of Applebee Trace and it seemed to stop beating when my mother passed away a year ago. The two will be forever entwined in my memories and I see it only fitting that it is now that we part with Applebee Trace.

Applebee Trace will pass from our family to a new owner in July. My only hope is that this mid-19th century homestead will continue to grace Old Sutton Road and not be replaced with something new. I hope that her new caretakers will embrace her beauty and dwell within her old sturdy timbers as generations of families have since the 1850's. Farewell Applebee Trace, you will forever live in my heart and memories.