Historic sites offer authentic 19th-century Christmas experience

Posted December 04, 2025 12:09 am

Daily Herald report

Experience the sights, sounds, and scents of an authentic 19th-century Christmas at three historic sites around the Fox Valley this weekend.

Candlelight

• Music, natural decorations, tasty treats, and more await you and your family at the “Candlelight” and Christmas Pageant events on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6-7, at the Durant-Peterson House and Sholes School Museums in St. Charles.

Cherish the sounds of holiday music, the scent of fresh-cut evergreens, the warmth of a glowing fire, the flicker of candlelight, and the flavor of old-fashioned treats as your family explores the immersive “Candlelight” event. This has been a St. Charles holiday tradition since 1972.

The Durant-Peterson House Museum and the Sholes School will be open from 2 to 6 p.m. both days. The buildings are fully decorated for the holidays of the 1800s. Entry times are at half-hour intervals at the Durant-Peterson House Museum to ease congestion. Tickets include entry to the Sholes School Museum which you may visit before or after the Durant-Peterson House.

The Sholes School Museum, built in 1872, will host a traditional children’s Christmas pageant where student actors will recite their lessons and invite everyone to sing carols. Visitors can enjoy the program at 2:30, 3:15, 4:30 or 5:15 p.m. Each show is about 20 minutes, and seating is limited.

At the 1843 Durant-Peterson House Museum, there will be typical 19th-century holiday decorations; natural fragrance of evergreens throughout the museum; warm, crackling fire in the hearth; and old-fashioned ginger cake and ribbon candy samples.

Docents in period dress will share stories of the Durant and Peterson families. Holiday music played by junior docents.

The Durant-Peterson House and Sholes School Museums are located within the LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve at 37W700 Dean St., just west of Randall Road in St. Charles.

Both museum experiences are included for the fee of $5 per adult and $1 per child. The pageant at the Sholes School Museum can be seen before or after visiting the Durant-Peterson House Museum.

For tickets and more information, visit ppfv.org/candlelight.

Candlelight at the Inn

Welcoming, candlelit windows will greet visitors to the old-fashioned “Candlelight at the Inn” celebration on Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Garfield Farm Museum in Campton Hills. Courtesy of Garfield Farm Museum

• Step back into the warm glow of the 1840s at “Candlelight at the Inn” on Sunday, Dec. 7, at Garfield Farm Museum, 3N016 Garfield Road in Campton Hills, about five miles west of Geneva off Route 38.

Experience the hospitality and respite offered to winter travelers from 3 to 7 p.m. Explore the historic 1846 brick tavern, browse the bake sale in the Burr House, and learn about the historic and natural area preservation of this 374-acre farmstead.

Donations are welcome to support this 48-year community effort to preserve and present northern Illinois’ settlement and farming history amid the once-great Illinois prairie.

For information, visit garfieldfarm.org or facebook.com/GarfieldFarmMuseum.