Garfield Farm and Inn Museum
Encyclopedia
The Garfield Farm and Inn Museum is a Registered Historic Place
in Kane County
, Illinois
, USA. The property is a 380 acres (1.5 km²) farmstead, centered around an inn
that served teamster
s and the nearby community during the 1840s. It is currently a museum offering a variety of educational and entertainment events. The buildings that remain are three original 1840's structures, including the 1842 hay
and grain
barn
, the 1849 horse
barn, and the 1846 inn. Various other barns and outbuildings also stand, the last dated to 1906.
in 1841. He farmed corn, wheat, hay, oats, livestock, and dairy. He also operated one building as a tavern to serve guests traveling between Chicago
and the Rock River Valley. A westbound stagecoach and mail coach routinely passed the tavern at 4 P.M., and the tavern provided an overnight resting spot for travelers. The Garfield family charged each traveler 37 and a half cents to stay the night, and as many as 64 guests would use the facilities at once. The Garfield farm also became a popular local meeting place, holding monthly dances on Saturdays on the second floor of the tavern. Live music was hired for these events, which attracted as many as 100 couples at once.
Eventually, the farm focused on raising cattle and growing grain products. Elva Ruth Garfield donated the farm in 1978 to the local park district to become a museum. Many furnishings from the tavern were conserved starting in 1901. The Garfield Farm and Tavern received recognition by the United States Department of the Interior
as a Historic Place
on June 23, 1978.
to the south, accessed via Garfield Road. The Garfield Cemetery also lies along Garfield Road, used mostly by Garfield family descendents. The tavern and house building was built by T. P. Garfield in 1846. The house was a red brick neoclassical
with Federal Style details. The -story structure has a center door with sidelights and 2-over-2 windows (originally 12 over 8). Inside, a center hall has two rooms to the right (the ladies' parlor and a bar
, one room to the left (dining room), and one to the rear (a bedroom). The center hall on the second hall has a staircase leading to the third. The rear of this floor was used as a ballroom, and three other rooms were used as bedrooms. The third floor had a bedroom on either side of the center hall and storage. The first floor dining room had stairs leading to the basement, which was 8 feet (2.4 m) deep. The tavern annex is one and a half stories, measuring 20 by 28 sq ft (1.9 by 2.6 ). It was used as a kitchen with a storage room for firewood, grain, equipment, and laundry. An 8 by 14 sq ft (0.74322432 by 1.3 ) recessed porch has half columns on its ends. The southeast wall had a brick chimney for use as a stove for the kitchen.
Four barns are standing on the grounds; the 1842 hay barn is 44 by 32 sq ft (4.1 by 3 ), the 1849 horse barn is 28 by 52 sq ft (2.6 by 4.8 ), the c.
1895 grain barn is 34 by 28.5 sq ft (3.2 by 2.6 ), and the 1908 dairy barn is 34 by 84 sq ft (3.2 by 7.8 ). A carriage house retains its historical integrity aside from a cement floor added in 1949. A small chicken house was built sometime after 1900, and a larger, six-sided chicken house was built in the 1930s. The milk house was built between 1900 and 1920 with cement blocks and four windows. The cement silo rises 50 feet (15.2 m) high with an 18 feet (5.5 m) diameter. In 1908, a windmill was built to provide water for the farm and tavern. A cistern
was built in the crawlspace
under the kitchen of the house in 1841. A 30 feet (9.1 m) deep dug water well
provides groundwater
, and an outhouse also stands on the property.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in Kane County
Kane County, Illinois
Kane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 515,269, which is an increase of 27.5% from 404,119 in 2000. Its county seat is Geneva, and its largest city is Aurora.- Geography :...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, USA. The property is a 380 acres (1.5 km²) farmstead, centered around an inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
that served teamster
Teamster
A teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver. The trade union named after them is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , one of the largest unions in the United States....
s and the nearby community during the 1840s. It is currently a museum offering a variety of educational and entertainment events. The buildings that remain are three original 1840's structures, including the 1842 hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
and grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
, the 1849 horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
barn, and the 1846 inn. Various other barns and outbuildings also stand, the last dated to 1906.
History
T. P. Garfield was a surveyor that purchased a 440 acres (178.1 ha) lot west of the Fox RiverFox River (Illinois River tributary)
The Fox River is a tributary of the Illinois River in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States. There are two other "Fox Rivers" in southern Illinois: the Fox River and a smaller "Fox River" that joins the Wabash River near New Harmony, Indiana.-Wisconsin:The Fox River rises near...
in 1841. He farmed corn, wheat, hay, oats, livestock, and dairy. He also operated one building as a tavern to serve guests traveling between Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and the Rock River Valley. A westbound stagecoach and mail coach routinely passed the tavern at 4 P.M., and the tavern provided an overnight resting spot for travelers. The Garfield family charged each traveler 37 and a half cents to stay the night, and as many as 64 guests would use the facilities at once. The Garfield farm also became a popular local meeting place, holding monthly dances on Saturdays on the second floor of the tavern. Live music was hired for these events, which attracted as many as 100 couples at once.
Eventually, the farm focused on raising cattle and growing grain products. Elva Ruth Garfield donated the farm in 1978 to the local park district to become a museum. Many furnishings from the tavern were conserved starting in 1901. The Garfield Farm and Tavern received recognition by the United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
as a Historic Place
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on June 23, 1978.
Architecture
Fourteen buildings form the Garfield Farm and Tavern on 237 acres (95.9 ha). It is bordered by Campton Hills Drive to the north and Illinois Route 38Illinois Route 38
Illinois Route 38 is an east–west state road that runs across northern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 52 in downtown Dixon to U.S. Highways 12, 20, and 45 in Westchester. This is a distance of . As Roosevelt Road it continues through Forest Park and into Cicero and Chicago before...
to the south, accessed via Garfield Road. The Garfield Cemetery also lies along Garfield Road, used mostly by Garfield family descendents. The tavern and house building was built by T. P. Garfield in 1846. The house was a red brick neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
with Federal Style details. The -story structure has a center door with sidelights and 2-over-2 windows (originally 12 over 8). Inside, a center hall has two rooms to the right (the ladies' parlor and a bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
, one room to the left (dining room), and one to the rear (a bedroom). The center hall on the second hall has a staircase leading to the third. The rear of this floor was used as a ballroom, and three other rooms were used as bedrooms. The third floor had a bedroom on either side of the center hall and storage. The first floor dining room had stairs leading to the basement, which was 8 feet (2.4 m) deep. The tavern annex is one and a half stories, measuring 20 by 28 sq ft (1.9 by 2.6 ). It was used as a kitchen with a storage room for firewood, grain, equipment, and laundry. An 8 by 14 sq ft (0.74322432 by 1.3 ) recessed porch has half columns on its ends. The southeast wall had a brick chimney for use as a stove for the kitchen.
Four barns are standing on the grounds; the 1842 hay barn is 44 by 32 sq ft (4.1 by 3 ), the 1849 horse barn is 28 by 52 sq ft (2.6 by 4.8 ), the c.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1895 grain barn is 34 by 28.5 sq ft (3.2 by 2.6 ), and the 1908 dairy barn is 34 by 84 sq ft (3.2 by 7.8 ). A carriage house retains its historical integrity aside from a cement floor added in 1949. A small chicken house was built sometime after 1900, and a larger, six-sided chicken house was built in the 1930s. The milk house was built between 1900 and 1920 with cement blocks and four windows. The cement silo rises 50 feet (15.2 m) high with an 18 feet (5.5 m) diameter. In 1908, a windmill was built to provide water for the farm and tavern. A cistern
Cistern
A cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings...
was built in the crawlspace
Crawlspace
Crawlspace may refer to:* Crawl space, a type of basement in which one cannot stand up* Crawlspace , a 1986 horror/thriller film starring Klaus Kinski* Crawlspace , a 2004 animated short film by Peter Sved...
under the kitchen of the house in 1841. A 30 feet (9.1 m) deep dug water well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
provides groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
, and an outhouse also stands on the property.