Kline Creek Farm brings families back in time

These days, it seems, life is more hectic than ever. And every once in a while, it's necessary to slow down and catch your breath — even if it's just for an afternoon.

Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago is the perfect spot to relax and imagine a simpler time — an era free of the 24/7 distractions of TVs, cellphones and laptops, when families spent most of their day outside before bonding each night over a family dinner.

The living history farm, operated by the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, introduces visitors to life on a farm in the 1890s. Visitors can tour restored farmstead structures, meet historically costumed interpreters and engage in interactive farm activities.

“We're depicting a typical family from DuPage County over 100 years ago,” says Keith McClow, education site manager. “In the 1890s, people had a greater connection to the environment and their food supply.”

The site's farmstead, the center of domestic activities, contains original artifacts and reproductions. House tours are available every hour, and visitors can learn about how families baked, canned and quilted. Visitors will get a new perspective on modern life, McClow says.

“I want them to go home and hug their refrigerator,” he says.

Back then, each family member, despite their age, played a valuable role in getting food to the table. Young children would help Mom bring in the firewood and carry scraps to the compost pile. Boys would help their fathers grow the corn and feed the animals, while girls would help clean and prepare the meals.

“They were learning about the chores needed to maintain the house,” McClow says. “Even grandparents had lighter chores. There was no retirement home system.”

Much of the day was spent outdoors, planting fruits and vegetables, tending to the orchards, working on the wagon or curing sausages in the smokehouse. A typical family owned up to 10 horses, a dozen cows and a hen house.

“Kline Creek is one of the places in DuPage County where families can see livestock in a production setting,” McClow says.

Farm work was governed by the weather. Diaries from that time show daily records with detailed weather notes. “Visitors will be struck by how much the weather and the seasons meant to people,” he says.

Today, families don't engage in hard labor to get food to the table. There are estimates that farmers back then burned up to 10,000 calories a day, McClow says. “From our perspective, it would've been a great deal of work,” he says of the tasks involved to produce a meal.

But learning about the food supply process still is relevant for families today.

“It's a hot news topic,” he says. “A lot of times, what consumers are demanding isn't the healthiest option. Farmers are here to feed us and grow what we demand, and right now, we're demanding corn syrup.”

Visitors will learn about more than just meal production. In the spring, the farm offers demonstrations in blacksmithing, beekeeping, sheep shearing and milking, as well as special celebrations around Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

Another highlight is Kline Creek's Labor Day festival, when the farm is transformed into an old-fashioned fair, complete with a flea circus.

Kids flock to the shearing demonstrations, where they also learn about producing wool.

Egg collecting is another family favorite, as well as farm chore activities, where they'll do laundry on a scrub board and make rope from twine.

“Parents comment on how they can't get their children to do chores at home,” McClow says.

From the beekeepers demonstration, visitors will learn that bees do more than produce honey — they pollinate about a third of the food we eat. “If there were fewer bees in the world, our selection of fruits or nuts would decline and become more expensive,” he says.

An estimated 75,000 people visit Kline Creek Farm each year. Programs are geared toward all ages, with offerings including knitting, blacksmithing and children's story hour.

“We like to say that if you live in DuPage County, this is your farm,” McClow says. “We just take care of it when you're not here.”