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News from Garfield Farm |
Reservations by schools for the Friday,
October 5 Student Harvest Days at Garfield Farm Museum need to be made
now by contacting the museum at 630 584-8485. Individuals wishing to
volunteer for October 5 or Sunday, October 7th?s Harvests Days should
contact the museum for the best time slots and volunteer positions.
This is the 26th Annual Harvest Days that
features historic household and farm skill demonstrations reflecting
mid-19th century rural life on the prairies of Illinois. Traditionally,
Harvest Day Friday is reserved for schools to bring their classes to
learn in this one of a kind historic site that has survived the
vagaries of time. Tours of the 1846 house that served as a country inn,
of the prairie restoration area as well as demonstrations by the
museum's oxen, give teachers a real hands on laboratory to supplement
the teaching of America's heritage, its agriculture and environment.
Harvest Days has been at the heart of
the 30 year old grass roots effort to save and preserve this
historically intact site. Volunteers and donors come together to
display the educational potential of Garfield Farm Museum by manning
demonstrations, giving tours, performances, or helping with logistics
like parking, the bake sale, set up and clean up of the grounds.
Space for Friday's student day is
limited so school and home school groups are urged to call and make
reservations now. Volunteers should likewise contact the museum in
advance to have time to prepare for their chosen activity.
Volunteers and visitors to the museum over the
years have learned and discovered ideas and information that have
caused them to take up whole new hobbies, change lifestyles, or develop
more in depth views of life and the world. As buildings are restored
and educational programming expanded, the museum will become an even
greater center of learning.
Harvest Days are held on Friday from 9 am - 2
pm for the schools and on Sunday from 11:30 am - 4 pm for the general
public. There is a donation of $6 per adult, $3 for children under 12
years of age, and $4 each for Friday?s school students. Call
630-584-8485 or contact info@garfieldfarm.org for further information.
Garfield Farm Museum was established by the
late Elva Ruth Garfield who for many years sought to make her mother's
1890s dream of a museum a reality. Seeking the late Eve S. Johnson's
help, a local historic preservationist, the museum was founded in 1977
under ownership by the non profit Campton Historic Agricultural Lands
and educational interpretation by Garfield Heritage Society. Both
organizations have worked to preserve and present the farm as an 1840s
working farm museum while also providing information and assistance to
other historic and land preservation organizations, public bodies, and
private citizens.
Garfield Farm Museum is located 5 miles west
of Geneva, IL off ILL Rt. 38 on Garfield Road. Tours of the farm are
given year round by appointment or on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons,
from 1- 4pm June through September.