Photo 1-IKA-5

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This is now Campton Forest Preserve of the Kane County Forest Preserve that extends from Town Hall Road seen in the upper right, east to LaFox Road - 300 plus acres.(ILL Rt. 64 is at the bottom i.e. the north.) Gunnar Anderson bought this farm in 1867. His daughter Mary married Carrol Barber whose mother was Maria Louisa Garfield wife of Calvin Barber whose house survives on Harley Road south of ILL Rt. 38. Maria Garfield was daughter of Timothy Garfield original settler of the now Garfield Farm & Tavern Museum (www.garfieldfarm.org). In 1970 Gunnar's granddaughter retired professor Minnetta Barber sold below market price to Kane County Forest Preserve her grandfather's farm. The late historic and land preservationist Evelyn S.Johnson friend of Minnetta's helped the 1970 Gunner Anderson (no relation to the 1867 owner)staff head of the Forest Preserve negotiate the land's preservation. Minnetta lived there until her death in 1982. Minnetta was the cousin of founder of Garfield Farm Museum Elva Garfield and Minnetta's action was an encouragement for Elva to preserve her farm. Today none of the buildings survive except an unusual pre 1900s cobblestone smokehouse that was donated by the forest preserve to Garfield Farm Museum in 2015. A very tricky but successful move thanks to Trillium Dell Timberworks, White Brothers Trucking and O'Donnell Crane (the Wasco truck co and the Cortland, IL crane company donated their services) the little smokehouse traveled a state mandated long way around 9 miles to Garfield Farm Museum's 1859 Edward Garfield/Mongerson Brothers farmstead for preservation and interpretation.

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