The private foundation that owns the historic Indian Hill Manor and Farm is conducting a survey of historic barns and other farm buildings in the rural area around the old village of Kishwaukee. The area covered by the survey includes parts of southwest Rockford Township, northeast Marion Township, and northwest Scott Township, bounded by the Kishwaukee and Rock Rivers, Illinois Rt. 72 and U.S. 251.
Indian Hill Manor Barn
The Smeja Foundation, owner of Indian Hill Manor and Farm, has hired Andrew Rogers, an architecture student at Judson University, to conduct the inventory. Rogers is a resident of the Kishwaukee community who is studying for his degree in Bachelor of Arts in Architecture. He will be contacting land owners between June 15th and August 1st to arrange to meet with them and to gather information about the old barns and other farm buildings on their property.
“The foundation is interested in knowing more about the history of the Kishwaukee area, and farming and farm families are an important part of that history”, said Jerry Paulson, Interim Executive Director of the Smeja Foundation. “Participation in the survey is voluntary, and all information that is collected will remain confidential. We hope to use it as the basis of developing a program to preserve and restore the farmsteads that are an important part of the rural landscape of our area,” he explained.
The Smeja Foundation was founded in 2001 to preserve Indian Hill Manor & Farm and the history of the Kishwaukee community. It is a private foundation that promotes historic preservation, conservation, agricultural education and protection of archeological sites. For more information about the barn survey contact Jerry Paulson at 815-964-6464 or Smejafdn@gmail.com