St. James Farm Forest Preserve
For decades, St. James Farm in Warrenville was one family’s secluded retreat, a private estate occasionally opened to the public for special events. Now, the gates of St. James Farm are open to the public. DuPage County residents and visitors can see for themselves the architectural marks that one family, the McCormicks, left on this historic property.
St. James Farm was the retreat of the McCormick family. Chauncey and Marion McCormick acquired 203 acres of the farm in 1920. Chauncey was the great-nephew of Cyrus McCormick, who invented the first commercially successful mechanical reaper and co-founded the McCormick Reaper Works, which would later join the Deering Harvester Company to become the International Harvester Corporation.
To accommodate their interest in horseback riding, the couple built a Colonial-style red brick stable. And, to support their award-winning herd of Guernsey cows, they constructed a state-of-the-art dairy barn and assorted outbuildings. For the better part of two decades, these buildings housed a dairy operation that was a benchmark for farmers throughout the Midwest.
In the late 1950s, the property passed to the McCormicks’ son, Brooks, who managed the estate with his wife, Hope. The couple built the estate’s indoor arena, which not only accommodated their black-tie events but also later served as a riding school, a charitable interest. They installed the brick archway from the old Deering facility entrance and signage from the McCormick plant.
After retiring from International Harvester in 1980, Brooks began to develop the estate’s equestrian facility, which would include a 62-stall stable for competitors’ horses, a 1.5-mile steeplechase track, a 200-seat concession area, and dressage and jumping arenas.
In 2000, Brooks sold St. James Farm to the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. He remained at the estate until his death, which occurred in 2006.
In July 2007, the Forest Preserve District took possession of the 607-acre property.
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Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5000, Wheaton, IL 60189-5000
email: forest@dupageforest.com (630) 933-7200 Fax: (630) 933-7204 TTY: (800) 526-0857