|
|
News from Garfield Farm |
On Saturday and Sunday, December 2 & 3 from 3-7
pm Garfield Farm Museum will hold its annual Candlelight at the Inn
featuring the Homespun Holiday Market in the Atwell Burr House. This
open house features the atmosphere of life, as it was known over 160
years ago on the prairie of Illinois.
The convenience and accessibility the automobile and
rapid transportation provide are greatly unappreciated in the twenty
first century. Travel in the mid-nineteenth century could only be
described as much more hazardous and uncomfortable. Going from one
place to another was often limited to times of need, such as business
or emigration. One of the few things that travelers had to look forward
to, other then getting to their final destination safely was a
hopefully clean and warm tavern along the way. Taverns were often
family businesses a traveler would seek for food, a cup of hard cider,
a good night?s sleep, and the company of fellow sojourners. Over 41
taverns existed just on the route from Garfield Tavern to Chicago - one
about every mile. Only Garfield and the restored Stacy's Tavern in Glen
Ellyn survive on that route today
At the annual Candlelight, dedicated supporters of
Garfield Farm Museum give the general public a glimpse into the lives
of the settlers of Northern Illinois. While following the candlelit
lanterns, people can see the farmyard in its nighttime serenity guiding
them to the 1846 Garfield brick tavern. The smell of spiced tea,
the sound of a fiddle, and candlelight dancing off the tavern walls,
offered visitors the chance to experience the long gone 1840s life on
the road.
The 2nd annual Homespun Holiday Market will be
hosted in the Burr House from 12 Noon -7 pm. The Atwell Burr house was
moved to the museum and dedicated in 1996 as the museum's headquarters
and visitors center. The market will include handmade brooms,
pottery, jewelry, dried wreathes, woodworking, knitting and fiber arts.
New this year will be painter Mark Pawl, nature photographer Claire
Dassy and the Batavia Woodcarvers. The museum's volunteers will also
host the popular homemade bake sale filled with holiday treats. New to
the event is a candle making station, where children will be afforded
the possibility to make their own candles to bring home with them.
Donations are appreciated to help with the various
costs occurred while running this event. It is because of these
donations and support that museum is able to function and provide the
public with its educational services. Individuals will also be able to
enroll as members of Garfield Farm Museum.
Garfield Farm Museum is the only historically intact
370-acre, former Illinois prairie farmstead and teamster inn being
restored as a 1840s living history farm and inn by volunteers and
donors from 37 states. The museum is five miles west of Geneva, IL off
IL Route 38 on Garfield Road. For more information call (630) 584-8485
or email info@garfieldfarm.org.