The Sycamore History Museum is putting out a plea for volunteers for their annual Pumpkin Fest Historic Homes Tour. The event is on October 26th, 2013, from 10 to 5. Each volunteer fills a 2 1/2 hour shift in one location and gets a free ticket for the whole event. They have six wonderful locations this year, so they need lots of volunteers. Interested community members can contact the Sycamore History Museum at 815-895-5762 to volunteer or email jayne.w.higgins@gmail.com to sign up.
The Sycamore History Museum announced the theme and lineup of homes for the annual Pumpkin Fest Historic Homes Tour—the House Walk. This year’s event will celebrate some of the leading families that helped shape Sycamore into the prosperous town it continues to be. The tour will be giving festival goers a glimpse into how some of these leading families lived.
The featured properties are all homes of historically significant people, “The Movers and Shakers of Sycamore.” The tour will feature the final home of Carlos Lattin (Sycamore’s first permanent settler), the beautiful Queen Anne mansion built by leading grain merchant David Syme, the beautifully expanded historic farm home occupied by various leaders from Alfred Sawyer to Abram Ellwood, the family home of department store magnate William McAllister, the historic Jane Fargo Hotel, and the Harold Engh family farm, which is the current location of the Sycamore History Museum. Each property has something unique and interesting to offer.
The Carlos Lattin home is currently owned by Charlotte Burgess, a local potter of some fame. Lattin was instrumental in the early days of Sycamore, helping to secure the courthouse for the town and serving as a community leader. The home at 305 Somonauk is a lovely stucco home with deep porches and large French windows. Inside, the Burgess family has collected many objects of interest from around the world, including a harp that was a gift to the court of the king of France in the 1700s. The home was once cut into apartments, but the Burgess family has restored it to a single-family dwelling and added many interesting architectural improvements that fit smoothly into the original design of the home.
The David Syme house, located at 420 Somonauk Street, is the current home of the Grimson family. This classic Queen Anne-style mansion is a showplace of the architecture of George O. Garnsey. Syme was a leading grain merchant who helped put Sycamore on the map as an important hub for agriculture in its early days. The current owners have collections of art and objects from around the world. The kitchen and family areas have been newly remodeled, so even those who have toured before will find new touches.
The lovely, historic farm house across the street from the Syme mansion at 421 Somonauk was, for many years, the last home at the outskirts of Sycamore. Owned by a number of influential families, it is perhaps best known as the home of the Abram Ellwood family. Ellwood was the son of Sycamore’s first mayor Reuben Ellwood and himself served as mayor and postmaster. The home is cheerful and cozy, remodeled and decorated by current owners Ron and Mary Floit. If you visit, make sure to ask about grandma Ellwood who lived in the front room and about the outhouse (now garden shed) behind the house. The barn is also original to the property and worth a peek.
The tour then turns to historic 222 South Main Street, home to William McAllister who built the department store most Sycamore residents remember as Henderson’s. McAllister owned a chain of such stores, but Sycamore’s was the flagship. The home features lovely woodwork and stained glass, but the original tin ceiling and walls in the kitchen and the original range are most impressive. A true family home through the ages, the Hove family finds enough room for six children. Make sure to journey to the top floor for a look at the original cistern.
Our tour this year also includes the nicely remodeled and updated Jane Fargo hotel. This building is truly unique, being built around a mansion once belonging to Reuben Ellwood. The old-mansion part of the building now houses luxury suites with a strong historic flavor. If the new owner, Rachel Bauer is around, ask her the story of Jane Fargo, told with a twinkle in her eye. The hotel builder, Henry Fargo, also built the State Street Theater and the recently demolished Fargo Motors. Stop and have some refreshments in the beautiful art deco Mitchell Lounge and ask the staff some of the stories surrounding the history and haunting of this property.
The main stop on the tour is the historic Engh Farm and the Sycamore History Museum. A guided tour of the current exhibit, PLAY—a look at leisure activities in Sycamore through the year—will be included as part of the walk. This historic farm, once owned by the Harold Engh family, was a center of agriculture in the county through the years and has been home to the museum since 2009 when the property was deeded to the city. Included with the exhibit viewing will also be tours of the historic farm gardens and our archives building. Ask about the museum’s historic programs and see displays of how the farm has changed through the ages and the interesting families who served as farm managers.
The walk will run from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm on October 26, the Saturday of Pumpkin Fest. Tickets for the walk will be available beginning October 12 at the Sycamore History Museum and at Sweet Earth Gifts or on the day of the walk at any of the locations. The cost is $25 per person or $40 for two tickets bought together. Volunteer tour guides receive free tickets. For more information or to volunteer, contact the Sycamore History Museum at 815-895-5762, visit www.sycamorehistory.org, or like them on Facebook!
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