The Lake Forest Preservation Foundation is excited to host its annual summer tours of Crab Tree Farm. Crab Tree Farm is the last operating farm on Lake Michigan, in the state of Illinois. Originally a dairy farm, founded in 1905 in Lake Bluff by Scott & Grace Garrett Durand, it was converted to a pig farm in 1950 by the second owner, William McCormick & Helen Bowen Blair. The Blairs were the first farm in America to import Yorkshire pigs.
The docent-led tour will bring you through 5 of the restored farm buildings that now showcase this collection of art. You will see works mostly by Gustav Stickley, Grueby Pottery, and Roycroft on the American side and Charles Voysey, William Morris and Christopher Dresser on the British side. There are many, many, many more individuals, guilds, and artisans represented in the collection that you will see as well.
A peek into the craft of today at Crab Tree Farm will be shown in the workshop of Mike Jarvi. His manipulation of wood through steam bending is something to see!
Thanks to the addition of more volunteer docents, spaces have opened up for both the 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. tours! Please register below.