DuPage County's Greene Farm Barn

At the corner of Hobson and Greene Rd in unincorporated Woodridge, IL is the preserved Greene Farm Barn, namesake of the adjacent road.

In addition to the barn, an unoccupied house is preserved on the site as well, all part of the Greene Valley Forest Preserve.

Forgotten Lands Places & Transit photo, 2019.

The land the barn sits on was purchased by the Greene Family in the 1830’s, and was in the family until the 1970’s, when it was donated to the Aurora Foundation, who transferred it to the DuPage County Forest Preserve in 1998, with the intent of preserving the barn. 

According to the forest preserve, "In 1835, William Briggs Greene acquired 200 acres of present-day Greene Valley Forest Preserve from Daniel Greene, his uncle. When surveyors mapped the land in 1840, they reported how they "left Brill's wheat field and entered hazel and red oak brush and scattering timber." This and other descriptions of stunted oak trees mixed with thorn thickets and wooded ravines offer an idea of how the area once looked."

Image: Woodridge Patch

Unfortunately, while the land is part of the Forest Preserve, the barn itself is not included in the preserve's master plan, and while it is unlikely that the barn could be razed, the area is losing out on an opportunity to open the barn, and perhaps create a museum or preserved piece of history that keeps future generations informed of the area's agricultural past. Graue Mill is less than ten miles away, and is living proof that such a project can be a great benefit to the surrounding community.

So for now, while the barn is preserved, it is not open to the public, although the grounds are free to walk.

Thanks as always for reading!

Location: 23W171 Hobson Rd, Naperville, IL 60540, USA

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