Dundee Township Historical Society to go 'Down on the Farm' for May 5 annual meeting

On Sunday, May 5, the Dundee Township Historical Society will present a special program, "Down on the Farm", at 2 p.m. at the museum, 426 Highland in West Dundee.

The program will focus on the story of farming in rural Dundee Township. Those early settlers who crossed the vast prairie and came to the Fox Valley found an abundance of untouched forest, crystal clear water and rich black soil.

There they found a place to build a home and take up farming. So they staked their claims, cleared the land, tilled the soil and planted their crops. As more and more people came, small businesses popped up in the tiny towns along the Mighty Fox, but it was the farmer who would eventually make this place an important and prosperous community.

The country-side would soon become dotted with farms. They came from the east and from across the great ocean.

Among the numerous farm families were the Crichtons, the Binnies, and the Farrells.

Alfred Edwards, a successful businessman, had hundreds of acres of working farm land. There were the Millers, Teeples, Klahns, Nepermanns and so many more. Names you may recognize to this day.

Guest speaker Norm Nepermann will share stories of his great grandfathers who immigrated from Germany and took up farming in Dundee Township. Nepermann's grandfathers and his parents carried on the farming tradition as their forefathers had done in the "old country". The Nepermann farm has remained in the family since the 1870s.

As the farms around us are disappearing, the rich history is being forgotten. Farming was a hard life and played an important role in the American success story.

The story of life "Down on the Farm" will begin after a brief meeting and election of officers. All are invited to join the historical society members to hear a small part of the big story. Join us and share your own stories.

Refreshments will be served. There is no charge. Donations are appreciated.

For information, call the museum at (847) 428-6996.

Regular museum hours are 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays and Wednesdays.

Visit dundeetownshiphistorical.org or www.facebook.com/DundeeTownshipHistoricalSociety/.