Leon Feldott Farm: Site 51 and Site 52
The Feldott homestead dates back to 1847-55, when German immigrant Johaan Feldott settled on 120 acres of timberland near the “Big Woods.” Johaan and Theresia Hermreck Feldott raised nine children.
Their son, John, married Elizabeth Seppelfrick of Naperville in 1892. They bought the homestead in 1904 and 45 acres more in 1909, built a brick house in 1915, and raised eight children. Five of the children lived on the homestead with their families. One of their sons, Chris, married Evelyn Piltz in 1945. They had four children and continued farming the family acreage until 1969, when their land was purchased by the state of Illinois. Chris' son, Eugene, now owns the Feldott Farm on Jericho Road in Aurora. The house from Site 43 is now at #9 Sauk Circle.
Another of Johaan’s sons, Joseph, a well driller, bought 180 acres adjacent to his parents’ home in 1900. He married Katherine Mettel in 1889, and they raised four children - Leo, Raymond, Francis, and Jenny. In 1941, Leo purchased his parents’ farm. Leo and his wife, Estelle Feuerborn Feldott, raised three children, Rosalind, Jean and Leon. In 1955, Leon married Mildred Seppelfrick and the young couple lived on the farm with his parents. They raised four children and purchased the farm in 1966. Leon Feldott proudly improved his family’s farm by planting many trees, growing corn, soybeans, oats and barley, and maintaining the family’s dairy cattle, hogs and chickens until 1969.
One of the older buildings of the Feldott homestead at site 51 housed the historic Round Grove School where, for over 100 years, the children of the area received their grade school education. An automobile accident in the early 1960s knocked the schoolhouse from its foundation and the treasured building had to be torn down. The house from site 51 was moved to West Chicago in 1969.
The Feldott families recall many traditional childhood memories of the rich and varied community activities of farm life. Planting, riding horses, family reunions, ice-skating and snow-sledding were all enjoyed at home.
Joseph’s original mid-19th century home from Site 52, built in the Greek Revival style, was moved from grandson Leon’s farm on Old Batavia Road to #3 Sauk Circle in 1971. The Feldott barn remains in its original setting and is home for the Fermilab bison herd.
