Jump back to 1840s at Garfield Farm
Visitors can discover what life was like more than 160 years ago during Garfield Farm Museum's 1840s Days from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 11, and Sunday, June 12.
The event offers children and adults the opportunity to learn about their rural heritage through guided tours and period demonstrations.
Life in the 1840s was very different from it is today. Farm families, like the Garfield family, had to survive without electricity, running water, and many other modern conveniences. Farm work and household chores were physically demanding and there was always more work to be done. During the event, visitors will be able to experience daily life in the mid-19th century through period demonstrations by costumed interpreters.
The restored 1846 brick inn will be open for tours. Visitors can see the kitchen, ladies parlor, taproom, ballroom and customers' bedroom. Highlights of the tour include many original Garfield family items, such as the spinning wheel the family brought with them from Vermont when they moved to Illinois.
In addition to the brick inn, visitors will be able to walk through the museum's historic barns. The 1842 barn is the oldest building on the property. Although damaged by a lightning strike in 2005, this historic structure has survived and work continues on its restoration. The 1849 horse barn is almost fully restored and was built to house the horses that belonged to customers staying at the inn.
Visitors can view an archaeological excavation in progress near the site of the original log cabin built in 1836. The dig will be conducted by Jim Yingst from the Heartland Archaeological Research Program. Contact the museum if you would like to become involved.
Children will delight in seeing the museum's farm animals. These include mostly rare heritage breeds of chickens, turkeys, sheep, hogs, and oxen. Visitors can also tour the museum's prairie, giving them a chance to reconnect with nature while learning about native plants and the impact of human development on the landscape. A bake sale will be held in the Atwell Burr House with items lovingly baked by the museum's volunteers.
Admission to the 1840s Days event is $6 for adults and $3 for children. For event information, call the museum at (630) 584-8485 or email to info@garfieldfarm.org.
Garfield Farm Museum is a 370-acre historically intact former 1840s prairie farmstead and teamster inn that volunteers and donors are preserving as an 1840s living history museum. The museum is five miles west of Geneva, off Route 38 on Garfield Road.