An Agricultural Past

One of the perks of the museum being at Lakewood Forest Preserve is that everyday I get to enjoy wildlife and the change in seasons. Today is no exception. It's a lovely autumn day here in northeastern Illinois, and I got to pet a donkey!

Okay, donkeys are not normally part of the wildlife at Lakewood, but this weekend they are! Its the annaul Farm Heritage Festival, and with all the tractors coming in to be displayed, it seemed like the perfect time to share some farming images from the archives.

This beautifully photographed threshing scene is identified only as "Trashing Lake Co." We may never know where the scene was photographed, but it is a good representation of a once familiar sight.

Many locals ran resort businesses or had jobs in town in addition to operating a family farm. This spectacular photo postcard taken by C.R. Childs in 1913 shows a harvested field, and Setler's Resort, Antioch, in the background.

The reverse side of the postcard has Childs' handwritten notes, which include a potential caption, the time of day "11:45," and date "7/20/13" the photo was taken.

Brae Burn Farm's hired man's wife, Sophie Jurovic, driving the haying team, Lake Forest, circa 1915.

Scenes like this one at the corner of Fairfield and Gilmer Road are few and far between these days. Burnett Farm, circa 1973.


Remember, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Obviously, these farm boys photographed by Bess Dunn about 1910, got the message!

Happy Thanksgiving Postcards

The Thanksgiving tradition is about 400 years old. Most experts believe that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 at Plymouth, Massachusetts, between the Pilgrims and Native Americans as a three-day Thanksgiving harvest celebration.

Others have speculated that the settlers of Jamestown, Virginia, celebrated the first Thanksgiving (circa 1607) as their version of England’s ancient harvest festival.

If it had been up to Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), the turkey would have been our national symbol and not the Bald Eagle. Of course, that doesn't mean they'd be driving automobiles as portrayed in the circa 1908 holiday postcard below, sent to a friend from Miss Stella Bates.


The Brae Burn Farm in Lake Forest operated as a gentleman's farm for Robert Leatherbee, an executive of the Crane Company of Chicago. This circa 1915 photograph shows turkeys on the farm.

A handwritten poem on the back refers to the origins of the day:

“They built some rude log houses and planted some crops of corn, and then when the harvest was ripened, Thanksgiving Day was born.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween Costumes

With Halloween fast approaching, I'm sharing some holiday photos and postcards over the next couple of weeks.

Halloween costumes for adults and children became popular in the early 1900s in North America.
Shown here is an unidentified girl dressed as an "Indian Princess" circa 1905. The photo is credited to Bess Dunn, a county historian and photography enthusiast.

More than likely the girl's dress is homemade. There are three beaded appliques sewn to the front of the skirt. The appliques are reminiscent of detailing seen on women's dresses of this period or slightly before.

The costume is embellished with layers of jewelry. The girl's headpiece appears to be a string of pearls, and her bracelets have heart-shaped charms. The many beaded necklaces consist of shells and unknown materials.



In this circa 1920 photograph (left) is one of the sons of Robert and Frances (Crane) Leatherbee of Lake Forest. Yes, that's a boy with a pageboy haircut, wearing a Native American inspired shirt and pants, and an embroidered pillbox style cap.

The photo was taken at Brae Burn Farm, Lake Forest, more than likely by Dorothy Gleiser, the daughter of the farm manager. The 400-acre gentleman's farm was owned by Robert Leatherbee, an executive of the Crane Company of Chicago. The family lived in a sprawling one-story stucco home, from about 1914-1922 before selling the property to a developer and moving to Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

As represented in these children's costumes, Native American culture was romanticized and appropriated by non-native peoples. Today, awareness of cultural sensitivity has led to discussions about the portrayal of Native Americans and their heritage in Halloween costumes and popular culture.