Remembering the Past and
Our Accomplishments
In 1866, John L. Vehe and his wife Anna purchased the
farm. They had five sons. When John L died in 1902, the
farm passed to two of his sons, William and Fredrick.
Both worked the farm until 1920 when William, who had
never married, transferred his part of the farm to Fredrick.
Fredrick had married Alvina Fredrich Hannaly in 1902
and between them they had one son, Edwin(Ed).
In 1930 the farm passed to Ed. With his wife, Mae Brandt
Vehe, he worked the farm growing crops, adding dairy cows
and selling eggs. Ed died in 1988, and Mae lived on the
farm until her death in 1999.
Upon Mae's death, her heirs sought to sell the then remaining
14 acres. This included today's 19th century main barn,
two corn cribs, two machine sheds, a milk house and a
chicken coop.
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Residents of Deer
Park appealed to the Village to buy and preserve the
farm as open space and a unique historical site. The Village
responded quickly and was able to purchase the farm with
interim financing from CORLANDS, an Illinois Department
of Natural Resources grant, and final financing from Harris
Bank of Barrington.
The Village formed the Vehe Farm Foundation, a 501(c)3
organization. The Foundation's charter is to develop the
vision and plans for the farmstead, dedicating the farm's
use to the greater community, and to provide ongoing stewardship
to the farmstead.
Walking paths have been constructed. Praire and wetland
restoration is well underway. A soccer field has been
completed. And, the first phase of barn and outbuilding
restoration is underway.
Come back soon and read more about the Vehe Farm history. We're always adding more historical information to our web site.
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