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News from Garfield Farm |
CAMPTON HILLS, IL June is that official start of Wednesday and Sunday
afternoon tours at Garfield Farm Museum in the beautiful rolling
landscape of Campton Hills. Here the values that made America a success
can be discovered by a young generation that faces great economic
challenges in the decades ahead. The modest donation for admission is
worth much more to acquaint young and remind old of the hard work day
in and out the made America a world leader in the 20th century. The fun
and informative tour at Garfield Farm Museum with its historic barns,
restored 1846 Inn, and historic breeds of farm animals appeal to all
ages.
The tour looks at the lessons of the 1840s
that are especially relevant today. Every farmer depended on his good
name for credit to get him through spring planting and the summer
before his cash crop in the fall paid off a year of labor. Having a
monetary system a modern nation and a world can trust is critical for
any country to be successful. Yet right now that system is severely
challenged.
Patience, thrift and frugality were of necessity in the 1840s to
advance one’s self yet these practical realities have been lost
in modern day when we all meet our desires here and now with the use of
a plastic card. Reusing the 1842 hay and grain barn, moving it
and converting to a dairy barn in 1864 and moving it again in 1911 for
use as a machine shed demonstrates the wisdom of building structures to
last.
Now through September, drop
in tours on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons, 1:00-4:00 pm are hosted by
interpreters in period clothing who will regale visitors with tales of
the Garfield family, the settlement of northern Illinois and the growth
and development of agriculture in the 1840s. Visitors will learn about
the types of livestock and crops popular during the 19th century now
being re-discovered in local food production. Tours of the farm are $3
for adults and $2 for children under 13 years of age. Tours are also
available anytime by appointment.
To make reservations or to get further information
call (630) 584-8485, write to Garfield Farm Museum at PO Box 403,
LaFox, IL, 60147 or email info@garfieldfarm.org. The complete 2010
calendar is available upon request. Garfield Farm is a 370 acre
historically intact former 1840s Illinois prairie farmstead and
teamster inn that is being restored by donors and volunteers from 37
states as an 1840s working farm museum. Garfield Farm Museum is 5 miles
west of Geneva, IL of Ill Rt. 38 on Garfield Road.