WEST CHICAGO, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — As the Chicago area prepares for a stretch of extreme heat, one historic farm in the western suburbs is offering a reminder of how families kept cool before the invention of air conditioning.
At Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago, staying comfortable in the summer starts with a 19th-century approach: harvesting ice from a frozen lake and storing it in an insulated ice house.
“We have an ice house in the back, in the shade of trees to keep it cooler,” said Keith McClow, Heritage Experience Manager for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. “We’ve painted it white to reflect the sun, insulated the walls with sawdust and dug down to use the natural coolness of the earth.”
Each winter, the farm stores up to 13 tons of ice; half of which is expected to melt over the warmer months. The remaining ice is used to keep milk cool, support daily operations and even make ice cream.
“Each Friday, we make ice cream with our day campers,” McClow said. “Kids bring out the ice blocks, chop them up and use them in an ice cream freezer. Then they serve it to their families.”
In the 1890s, farmers relied on more than just ice. Structures like root cellars and summer kitchens helped keep heat out of the main house.
“We cook with a woodburning stove,” McClow explained. “So if you could afford it, you built a small building just for cooking. It kept the heat outside and your house much cooler.”
The farm also features heritage livestock, a working windmill-powered milk tank, and shaded pastures where animals roam freely and manage heat on their own terms.
Kline Creek Farm is open Thursday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with hands-on demonstrations running throughout the summer.
For more information, visit dupageforest.org.