SEGMENT: BACKGROUND
Mark Johnson>ISM Walk & Talk Interviews>Johnson, Mark, Section 1
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- BACKGROUND
- Keith talks about some of the history of the Kline Creek Farm. A log cabin was built in 1835 on Cline Creek after first settling along the DuPage River. The farmhouse was built in the late 1880s. At this time Frank Kline took over for his father Casper Kline. The farm is 199.6 acres. The barn, farmhouse, and smoke house are all original. Near the house is a summer kitchen for cooking during the summer. The kitchen garden is near the summer kitchen. The door yard garden is close to the house. In this garden is the Stanley's Washtub, the largest single flower in the world. They use water and ice blocks to cool the milk in the windmill. They keep two varieties of chickens, on for eggs and one for eating. A barn is used for housing the animals and for storing the equipment and grain. The orchard is half apple trees, which they would use to make cider or vinegar for preserving food. In the orchard is the apiary where they keep honey bees, who also polenate the orchard and gardens. 33 acres are used for farming. The horses are used for plowing and planting, as well as pulling the binders. They are draft horses. Shorthorn and angus cattle are raised on the farm, as well as Southdown sheep. The sheep are used for both meat and wool. The farm is spelled Kline Crrek Farm and the creek is spelled Cline Creek. John Kline changed the spelling of his name to sound more German. The farm is open to the public and they encourage the public to help with the farm tasks.
