Step back in time at Garfield Farm museum

You can expect the aroma of hot spiced tea, the taste of fresh baked tea breads, and lively fiddle and dulcimer tunes at Garfield Farm Museum Saturday and Sunday during its annual Candlelight Reception from 3 to 7 p.m.

Interpreters wearing period clothing will tell guests of what life was like for people during the height of the horse and wagon era. There is no charge for Candlelight, but donations are appreciated.

The Garfield's home sat on the junction of the heavily traveled St. Charles-Oregon and Sycamore Roads. The Garfields used their brick house as a tavern as inns were known, to accommodate guests. At this time, most people traveled by horse and wagon. It was a slow process that could take weeks, as a heavily loaded team of horses with good weather could only travel about 15 miles a day. Inns were places that offered weary travelers an occasion to take a break from the monotony of their journey.

A guest of the Garfields could eat, drink, sleep and most importantly talk to others. News traveled slowly and travelers brought far away news, as well as entertaining stories. Inns became a center for the community hosting dances, weddings, fundraisers, and other local functions.

Following a visit to the 1846 inn, walk up the glowing lantern path to Burr house and enjoy even more, as the museum will feature its Homespun Holiday Market.

In its third year, the Homespun Market features local artisans bringing in their goods for the public to purchase. The market features a variety of crafts, such as knitted ware, pottery, household items, and many others. Held in the museum's Burr House, the market runs from noon to 7 p.m. for both days. A percentage of the profits made by the artisans are donated to the museum.

A bake sale is also featured at the Holiday Market, and goods are entirely donated by museum volunteers.

Candlelight is the museum's oldest special event. It offers visitors a chance to meet the volunteers and donors, who are the lifeblood of the farm.

The event is a time for those interested in becoming involved to meet those who already give so much to help sustain the museum and keep it moving forward.

The event also benefits the museum's ongoing efforts to restore the historic buildings and to provide educational programming. The 370-acre Garfield Farm Museum is the only historically intact former 1840s Illinois farmstead and teamster inn being restored by donors and volunteers from 2,800 households in 37 states as an 1840s working farm museum.

Garfield Farm Museum is five miles west of Geneva, off Route 38 on Garfield Road. For information, call (630) 584-8485 or e-mail info@garfieldfarm.org.