A Brief History of the Vehe Farm

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.

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.