Naper Settlement
Encyclopedia
Naper Settlement, established in 1969, is a 13 acres (52,609.2 m²), open air museum
accredited by the American Association of Museums
that consists of a collection of thirty historical buildings from the Naperville, Illinois
area. Many buildings were moved here from their original locations and refurbished in a style fitting of their period. Visitors can come for hands-on activities and tours led by guides in period costume. The settlement is situated on land given to the City of Naperville by Caroline Martin Mitchell.
quarries
. George Martin II was the son of an immigrant from Scotland
and made his fortune by taking advantage of local resources. His first venture was agriculture, cultivating a farm and gradually expanding his land holdings to 1,000 acres. Martin then developed a limestone
quarry along the DuPage until 1869. He made his riches after he co-founded Naperville Tile and Brick Works, which eventually output over one million bricks and one million tiles. The tile was primarily used to drain swamps for farming. Martin operated his end of the business in his new home upon its 1883 construction. He named the house Pine Craig, and his family members lived in the house until 1936. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1975. The mansion currently operates as a museum and was renovated in 2003.
Open air museum
An open-air museum is a distinct type of museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors. The first open-air museums were established in Scandinavia towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the concept soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Open-air museums are variously known as...
accredited by the American Association of Museums
American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
that consists of a collection of thirty historical buildings from the Naperville, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
area. Many buildings were moved here from their original locations and refurbished in a style fitting of their period. Visitors can come for hands-on activities and tours led by guides in period costume. The settlement is situated on land given to the City of Naperville by Caroline Martin Mitchell.
Martin Mitchell Mansion
The Martin Mitchell Mansion, known to the original owners as Pine Craig, is a historic residence. The twelve room house was built with materials from Naperville businesses and stone from DuPage RiverDuPage River
The DuPage River is a tributary of the Des Plaines River in the U.S. state of Illinois.-Course:The river begins as two individual streams. The West Branch of the DuPage River, long, starts in Schaumburg at Campanelli Park in Cook County and continues southward through the entire county of DuPage,...
quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
. George Martin II was the son of an immigrant from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and made his fortune by taking advantage of local resources. His first venture was agriculture, cultivating a farm and gradually expanding his land holdings to 1,000 acres. Martin then developed a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarry along the DuPage until 1869. He made his riches after he co-founded Naperville Tile and Brick Works, which eventually output over one million bricks and one million tiles. The tile was primarily used to drain swamps for farming. Martin operated his end of the business in his new home upon its 1883 construction. He named the house Pine Craig, and his family members lived in the house until 1936. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1975. The mansion currently operates as a museum and was renovated in 2003.