Peck Farm Park holds special spot in family's hearts

Some of Erdene Peck's beloved peonies live on, in a picnic area named for her at Peck Farm Park in Geneva.

That pleased Anne and John Peck, two of her children, who visited the park Wednesday for an informal dedication of the garden.

Peony bushes that used to be near the Pecks' Italianate brick house were moved to the new spot, supplemented by peonies obtained from the Schaumburg Park District, The garden spot is also lined by hostas.

Construction of the spot was paid for largely with gifts made in Erdene's memory when she died at 95 in May 2016.

She was married for 66 years to George Peck, grandson of Eli Peck. Eli and his wife, Jerusha, moved to Batavia in 1843, then to land in western Geneva Township in 1844. In 1869, they built the two-story farmhouse on Kaneville Road. The Peck family amassed more than 1,600 acres of farmland, on which it raised crops, dairy cows and most notably, Merino sheep. The sheep are bred for the quality of their wool, and the Pecks' flocks became world renowned.

If not for the invention of Benadryl antihistamine in the 1940s, though, history may have been different for the site of the park.

As a youth, George "hated" farming, his son, John, said Wednesday. George became an engineer, served in the Navy during World War II, and upon returning went to work for the Elgin Watch Co.

But with the help of the new drug, George was able to overcome allergies and resume farm life. He and Erdene bought the farmhouse and some of the land from his father. They lived there full time until the early 1970s. They then bought a ranch in Montana. They would spend the summers there, raising cattle, returning to Geneva in the winter until they sold their farm.

Meanwhile, Geneva was growing, expanding westward. Real estate developers were knocking on the Pecks' door.

"It would have been easy to sell to a developer. ... It was my father's desire to not see this turn into suburbia," John Peck said.

In 1991, the Geneva Park District bought 114 acres, then another seven acres. The Pecks donated 10 acres. With other acquisitions, Peck Farm Park stands at 385 acres, according to the district. The park opened in 1998.

"They were a great family to work with," former park district director Steve Persinger said Wednesday.

George died in 2008 at 90. An amphitheater in the park is named after him.

"It (preserving the open space) was just a very comfortable thing for him to do. And I think it has turned out quite nicely," John Peck said of the park.