<b>By TIM ALEXANDER<br>
Illinois Correspondent</b> </p><p>
 
CHILLICOTHE, Ill. — When Zealy Moss Holmes constructed his family’s farmhouse in 1898, he knew it would be a spacious, sturdy home that would stand the test of time.<br>
But one can bet that Holmes (1866-1947), who served as the first president of the Peoria County Farm Bureau from 1917-23, had no idea that more than a century after its construction his home would serve as a museum dedicated to farm life in the early 20th century.<br>
Constructed on farmland near Mossville, the house and property were later owned by a local businessman, Dean Hendryx, who converted the property into a self-storage facility. Hendryx decided in 1993 to donate the Holmes farmhouse to Three Sisters Park near Chillicothe to serve as centerpiece for the agricultural-themed park’s planned living history farm.<br>
Three Sisters’ master plan goal includes intentions to construct an entire village themed after a central Illinois agricultural community, circa 1918. In addition to the farmstead, barn, chapel and other structures already in place, the park plans to add a blacksmith shop, general store, town square and structures representing farm and rural community life from an era before electricity and “modern” farming machinery. A visitors’ center, interpretive museum and restaurant are also planned.<br>
Ground has yet to be broken for the pioneer village. Three Sisters’ marketing director Gene Pratt said, however, that completion of the village remains “one of the key goals of the park’s original vision.”<br>
House lovingly restored<br>

Thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Chillicothe Foundation, the house made the six-mile trek from Mossville to the park on the back of a semi trailer after days of preparation and hard labor.
“The move was a little more challenging than many expected, but the house arrived safely,” said Pratt. “It was a wonderful gift and is the centerpiece of the park.”<br>
The Bielfeldt Foundation and the Caterpillar Foundation donated $150,000 to spruce up the house and restore it to its past glory; all indoor woodwork and wall coverings were lovingly and expertly refurbished and the home’s exterior was restored. Local residents played a big role by donating nearly all of the period furniture and artifacts displayed inside the house.<br>
“It has the appearance of a house actually being lived in. <br>Essentially, everything is period-correct and the home is beautifully decorated. The artifacts are basically priceless,” Pratt said.<br>
“When you walk around the home, it is extraordinary. It was not an average farmhouse to begin with, because of the resources (Holmes) had at his disposal in building the house; the rooms are larger, there are more windows and the wood trim is fairly elaborate.<br>
“It’s fun to show the house to visitors, because they are always impressed. I think of it as a museum.”<br>
Pratt explained the home, along with the planned village, is designed around the year 1918 to reflect an era of Midwestern agriculture before farmers fully converted to mechanically-powered implements from horse and ox-driven plows.<br>
“Agriculture changed dramatically after that point,” he noted.<br>
House as status<br>

When Holmes’ farmhouse was new, it stood as a tribute to the social stature of the man who built it.<br>
He was on the original board of directors of Bradley University and managed all the farm properties that were included in the Bradley University Endowment. A building, Holmes Hall, was named in his honor on the BU campus. He was also a farmer and seed corn dealer.<br>
“He was a successful businessman and was able to build his house accordingly. He was very well-connected,” Pratt said.<br>
A few years ago, Pratt was introduced to a niece of Holmes’ who was touring the farmhouse at Three Sisters Park. “She said that she used to spend a lot of time in the house and on the property playing with her cousins,” he recalled.<br>
Though not all visitors to the house will sense the same connection Holmes’ niece felt to the property, Pratt said the structure and its furnishings represent an era of Americana with which many feel a strong connection.<br>
“People are interested in looking back and seeing how things were when they or their parents or grandparents were growing up,” he explained. “Some will remember living in a similar home with similar furnishings. The house is a wonderful way of remembering a different time in our history, and that is its appeal.”<br>
It takes a village to build one<br>

Though Pratt wouldn’t put a timetable on the village’s groundbreaking or completion, he acknowledged it could be five years or so down the road before visitors are walking the streets of Three Sisters’ early 20th-century farming village.<br>
“Once the farmstead is completed, we will turn our full focus to the village,” he said, adding that some preliminary infrastructure and utility drawings have already been completed by a local architecture firm. “It will be a big project, and we have limited resources and staff. We like to complete one project before moving to another.”<br>
Pratt said individuals or groups interested in touring the farmhouse and grounds or learning more about Three Sisters’ master plan goals, including its pioneer village, can contact his office at 309-274-8837. More information and a slideshow are available online at www.threesisterspark.com