Kline Creek Farm celebrates holidays in 1890s style
Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago is swapping iPods for pump organs, lavish centerpieces for evergreens and Christmas hams for oysters.
All the holiday food is cooked on a cast-iron stove that takes an hour to warm up, and the house is decorated with ribbons. The Christmas tree is even made out of feathers.
The farm has turned back the clock to celebrate the Christmas season as if it was 1890 and to show others what it would have been like a century ago in DuPage County. Visitors can stop by the historic farm from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Jan. 3 at 5S580 County Farm Road in West Chicago to learn about the authentic decorations, celebrations and food that were used during that era.
“You have to go over a stream, you have to go by the cows and it's like you're walking up the lane and into history,” volunteer Mary Landis said about reaching the farm.
When people stop by the house they are greeted by volunteers like Landis, who are donning dresses similar to a moo-moo but with sleeves that stretch all the way down the arm. Landis wears an apron as well because, when she is not giving tours, she slaves over an iron stove cooking treats from the 1890s for visitors.
Along the tour, guests see holiday artifacts from the time period and are told how families celebrated Christmas, said Heritage Interpreter Kate Garrett.
She explains that in the 1890s, DuPage farmers would celebrate by going to church with their family and then digging into a large, tasty meal afterward. She said the day was less about gift giving and more about socializing with those close to you.
Garrett said the farm house is decorated with ribbons and feathers because at the time, farmers would deck out their house with items they had easy access to.
History-buff Landis said she doesn't rely on a script when she tells others about such traditions. Instead, she caters the tour to those who are on it, such as asking younger children what they think people did for fun when they didn't have video games.
Some visitors realize their current traditions aren't so different from those from 100 years ago. Landis remembered the a time when a woman came in and saw a Morris rocking chair and started laughing because she would always see her grandfather sitting on one while smoking a cigar.
Both Garrett and Landis hope visitors are able to take away a piece of history from the farm, operated by the DuPage Forest Preserve District, and learn about the county's holiday roots.
“People can see what it used to be like and then appreciate it. It's good that they can understand where we came from,” she said. “We didn't spring out of nothing.”
For more information, visit DuPageForest.com.
If you go
<b>A 1890s Christmas at Kline Creek Farm</b>
Where: 1N600 County Farm Road in West Chicago
When: Dec. 30, Dec. 31, Jan. 2, Jan. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Free
Info: dupageforest.com