Corron Farm is preserved to commemorate the Corron family’s contributions to the settlement and agricultural history of Campton Township. This farm is listed on the National and Kane County Register of Historic Places. The purpose of Corron Farm Preservation Society is to preserve, increase, and enrich the knowledge of the history of the Corron Farm and early Campton Township and to provide leisure and educational opportunities for Township residents, businesses, and surrounding communities.
Corron Farm Preservation Society is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving, increasing, and enriching the knowledge of the history of Corron Farm and early Campton Township and to provide leisure and educational opportunities for Township residents, businesses, and surrounding communities. Historic Corron Farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Kane County Register of Historic Places.
Corron Farm was listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior on May 21, 2018.
Much of the charm associated with Corron Farm stems from the history of continuous farming by the same family. Corron Farm is preserved to commemorate the Corron family’s contributions to the settlement and agricultural history of Campton Township. Corron Farm is located at 7N716 Corron Road in St. Charles. The farmstead was settled by Robert Corron in October of 1835 and purchased from the Corron family by Campton Township in 2002 as part of their Open Space Program.
Campton Township’s Open Space Program restricts the use and management of the property to benefit the citizens of the community and its future generations and preserve and protect the semi-rural character of the Township. They acquired open land for passive and active recreational purposes and for the protection of farmland, historic landmarks, scenic roadways, wetlands, woodlands, wildlife, and geologically significant features.
As the Open Space Program’s first purchase in 2002, Corron Farm is often referred to as the “crown jewel” property for Campton Township. These 221 acres were previously owned by the family of one of the area’s first settlers, Robert Corron. Robert arrived in Campton Township in 1835, laid claim to the land, and built a log cabin. From 1842 to 1847, he purchased parcels from the federal government, cleared the land, and began raising crops. In 1854, Robert accomplished his dream of building a Greek Revival home reminiscent of the one he had seen in southern Virginia. This dairy farm, which supplied milk to the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, was managed by his descendants for more than 160 years.
In 2003, Corron Farm was listed on the Kane County Historic Register. The farm is listed on the Kane County Register of Historic Places for historical and architectural significance “…as an excellent example of an early Kane County farmstead, having excellent architectural integrity, and a unique example of an architectural style”.
Through various grants, Campton Township has established walking trails, converted 180 acres of cropland to prairie, restored 41 acres of oak savanna and wetland landscapes, renovated the homestead’s Italianate front porch and some of the outbuildings, and created a parking lot for visitor access to Corron Farm.
In 2007, to celebrate its open space, the Township began hosting its annual Prairie Fest at Corron Farm. This festival showcases the prairie restoration and historic farm site and features hayrides, farm tours, children’s activities, and various local agricultural and nature-related exhibits. This year’s Prairie Fest celebration will be held on Saturday, September 22, 2018, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.
In 2011, to help Campton Township maintain this historic farmstead, David and Thomas Corron (the Great-Grandsons of Robert Corron), Laurel Garza, Denise Morgan, Jack Shouba, other family members, volunteers, and concerned citizens stepped forward to create the Corron Farm Preservation Society whose mission is to preserve, increase and enrich the knowledge of the history of the Corron Farm and early Campton Township and to provide leisure and educational opportunities for Township residents, businesses and surrounding communities.
Tours of the historic Corron family farmhouse are offered at Prairie Fest which features authentic 19th-century documents, books, furniture, and other historical artifacts. Outdoor tractor-drawn wagon rides with presentations by prairie restoration experts are available.
The main house called the “Old Brick” was built by Robert Corron between 1850 and 1854. The home contains 40 windows and doors with thresholds and window lintels quarried in Batavia. Electricity and hardwood floors were added to the home in 1931.
Educational Tractor pulled Wagon rides throughout the restored Prairie of Historic Corron Farm guided by Restoration Ecologists of the Campton Township Open Space Program.