New exhibits coming to Bonner Farm
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Paul Valade/DAILY HERALD FILE PHOTO
Three years after the Bonner Heritage Farm opened to the public, Lake County Forest Preserve District officials are preparing new exhibits for the Lindenhurst-area attraction.
The forest board this week agreed to hire a Chicago company called Architectureisfun Inc. to design displays for the great barn at the farm, which is on Country Place near Sand Lake Road.
When completed, the displays will be part of a self-guided tour of the barn and the 8-acre property, said Katherine Hamilton-Smith, the forest district's director of cultural resources.
The concept work will cost $45,000, but the fee will be covered by a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Hamilton-Smith said.
Architectureisfun has designed all the exhibits at Bonner Heritage Farm. It specializes in designing exhibits at children's museums and similar facilities.
The company's credits include spaces at the DuPage Children's Museum in Naperville, the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago and the Young at Art Children's Museum in Davie, Fla.
The newest design work for the Bonner Heritage Farm should start immediately, Hamilton-Smith said.
The work comprises the third of four planned phases for the farm. The fourth phase will be the actual construction of the planned exhibits, Hamilton-Smith said.
The Bonner Farm was founded in 1842 by Scottish immigrants. Some of the property was donated to the forest district in 1995.
The original oak-and-hickory main barn was built in 1848. This portion of the great barn is among the oldest barns in Lake County, officials have said.
As part of the conversion to a public attraction aimed at educating visitors about the county's agrarian past, the buildings were restored and interactive exhibits such as a windmill, weather station and children's play maze were added.
Although its exterior has been restored, the great barn isn't yet open to the public.