Help Corron Farm raise $7,000 for stewardship challenge grant

Posted August 13, 2018 10:00 am

Submitted by Corron Farm Preservation Society

The Corron Farm house, called the "Old Brick", was built by Robert Corron between 1850 and 1854 from bricks kilned from clay on the property. The home contains 40 windows and 40 doors with thresholds and window lintels quarried in Batavia. Courtesy of Corron Farm Preservation Society

The Corron Farm Preservation Society has been notified by the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, www.IllinoisCleanEnergy.org, that the foundation has approved a Community Stewardship Challenge Grant for up to $27,000 to be used for stewardship of Corron Farm natural areas.

The award is based on cash donations and volunteer labor. The scope of the stewardship project includes wetland rehabilitation and woodland savanna, and prairie enhancement.

To fulfill the grant, the society must raise $7,000 to go toward the stewardship project. The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation will match $3 for every $1 raised.

To raise these funds, the preservation society will host fundraisers, solicit donations from local businesses and the community, and conduct direct mail campaigns to its members and supporters.

In addition, the society must host volunteer events throughout the 18-month grant period to support the improvement of habitat at Corron Farm.

Logging 400 hours of volunteer service will result in an additional $4,000 to be used for restoration projects.

Individuals and groups who are interested in volunteering at Corron Farm may contact Josh Nelson at (630) 549-7947.

Robert Corron, aged 19, was an early Campton Township settler. He arrived in the township in October 1835 and settled on the land at what is now Corron Road between Silver Glen and McDonald roads, 7N761 Corron Road, in Campton Township.

In 1844, after making improvements on the land, Robert was able to purchase the property from the government.

Copies of these documents are in the collection of historic documents at the farm.

The Corron family continued to operate a dairy farm until the land was purchased by Campton Township in 2002 as its first Open Space parcel.

Since 2002, the township has worked to restore approximately 190 acres of farmland to native prairie/wetland, as well as approximately 20 acres of remnant oak savanna and woodlands.

With the support received from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, the Corron Farm Preservation Society will be able to make a significant impact to this special place in the community.

Corron Farm is a 220-acre former dairy farm now open to the public year round from dawn to dusk featuring walking trails, educational gardens, picnic area, historic buildings, and approximately 210 acres of native habitat restoration.

Corron Farm Preservation Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to preserve, increase, and enrich knowledge of the history of Corron Farm and early Campton Township and to provide leisure and educational opportunities for township residents, businesses and surrounding communities.

Historic Corron Farm is currently listed on the Kane County Register of Historic Places and on the National Register of Historic Places.

Contributions by check for the Illinois Clean Energy Stewardship Grant can be made payable to Corron Farm Preservation Society with Clean Energy Grant in the memo line and mailed to P.O. Box 155, Wasco, IL 60183-0155.

Or contributions can be submitted at www.gofundme.com/stewardship-challenge-grant.

The Corron Farm Preservation Society has rehabbed carriages and a sleigh from the 19th century often on display during community events. Courtesy of Corron Farm Preservation Society

Corron Farm features a savanna trail with bur oaks and white oaks, and mesic and wet prairies. Courtesy of Corron Farm Preservation Society

Corron Farm is currently on the Kane County Register of Historic Places, having been settled by Robert Corron in 1835 and purchased from the Corron family by Campton Township in 2002. Courtesy of Corron Farm Preservation Society

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