Kline Creek Farm352

Kline Creek Farm, sitting within the 1,102-acre Timber Ridge Forest Preserve in Winfield, is a living-history farm depicting farm life as it was on this site and hundreds of others like it in 1890s DuPage County. Its purpose is to explore what life was like in the area over a century ago.

Toward that end, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has combined original structures, authentic re-creations, livestock and historically accurate activities into a realistic 1890s DuPage County working farm.

The farm began as a log cabin homestead in the early 1830s. It continued to be a working family farm through the 1960s until it was purchased by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County; it first opened to the public in 1984 for special events and for year-round operation in July of 1989.

Kline Creek Farm offers a variety of programs and activities each year. These activities are seasonal in nature, reflecting the daily life of a 19th-century farm family and their need to accomplish various chores and tasks. Activities may include making sausage and butter; canning garden produce; making hay; harvesting; and preparing for social occasions such as weddings, funerals and holidays. Most of the activities associated with the farm's programs are free or require a nominal charge.

A self-guided tour brochure, which describes the structures on the site in detail, is available at the visitor center. The house and summer kitchen are available for guided tours only; tours are available on the hour from 10am to 4pm daily when the farm is open.

The Timber Ridge Visitor Center features educational exhibits about the 1890s and the agricultural heritage of DuPage County. It also offers modern restrooms, a drinking fountain, and general forest preserve and trail information for those using Timber Ridge Forest Preserve as a trailhead or rest stop. The visitor center includes a store that carries a variety of Kline Creek Farm merchandise as well as beverages and snacks.

An open-air picnic area is near the visitor center. Reservations are not required for use of the area.

Kline Creek Farm offers educational programs throughout the year that cover a wide variety of topics including harvesting, canning, planting, maple sugaring, and more. These programs are seasonal in nature and are available to school, youth and community groups. In the summer, the farm offers a one-week day camp called Farmhands. This program covers a wide range of areas involving many activities from 1890s farm life.