Pet Friendly COME ON IN, MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME You'll find no other guest house in Grafton that will offer you this down-home peaceful country experience. You’ll stay in a private, 2 bedroom, 1 bath home with a 1-acre lake, tucked away on 80 acres. This beautiful farm is ALL yours. A spring fed lake full of fish, pedal boat , rec room, 1/2 mile nature trail.
Bring the kids the family pet (addtl $25/pet) and enjoy all the amenities this guest house has to offer.
Just 2 miles from Grafton.

Maybe you just want to "Hangout" with your family and friends? Then you will enjoy our Homestead Hangout. You'll play ping pong, foosball or just relax on our comfy sofa and read a book. Forgot your book? That's ok we have several for you to choose from and take one home if you didn't get a chance to read the whole story. Make your way to Hedge Apple Point and take a photo with "The three sisters." Grab a flashlight and head out to Starry Nights to view the night sky, or put your wish into a bead and hang it on the Wishing Tree!

Bring the kids, the family pet and enjoy all the amenities this guest house has to offer:

Just two short miles from Grafton.
1/2 mile nature trail
Lake for fishing
Dock
Pedal boat
Horseshoes
Bon Fire pit
BBQ grill
Ping pong
Foosball
Huge covered porch
Fully equipped kitchen
Complimentary snacks
Smart TV
free fiber WiFii
DVD player & 100+ movies

Get outside and enjoy each other! We are always creating new experiences for our guests. Don't be surprised if you are surprised!
Just two miles away is Grafton with all the wineries, bars, shops, local bands and just an all-around good time.

The property may accommodate large parties, weddings, family reunions, etc. or room for an RV. Our standard nightly rate will not cover any parties/retreats beyond 12 guests. Please inquire to receive additional pricing.
I hope you find peace and Gods presence my family found at this special place.

Welcome Home,

Shirley and Patricia
Owner/Operator

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY
In 1943 my parents purchased the 80-acre farm, farmhouse and barn for $2,800. In 1944 the current home was built on the site of the old homestead. The white barn is the original barn that was on the property when my parents purchased the farm which makes it about 100 years old.

At the time, America was using all of our resources to fight World War II, therefore building materials were hard to come by. All the lumber used to build the home in 1944 was used lumber bought from a lumber yard in Brighton Illinois.
There was no basement in the original farmhouse, so dad dug the basement with a scoop pulled by a team of mules and as the main support for the house my grandpa hand hewed the beam from a white oak timber found on the farm. This beam is still supporting the homestead to this day!

No electric, no gas, no running water!

It wasn’t until sometimes in the fifties did we have electric, until then we saw by kerosene lamps and mom cooked on a wood stove. There was no running water, but we had a cistern to catch rainwater which was then pumped into the house by a hand pump. You can still see the cistern around the back of the house.

Chicken, pigs and milk cows all lived on the farm.

In 1964 an addition was added onto the living room. In order the make way, the original steps (hand poured) needed to be moved. Daddy had an old John Deer tractor that he used to work the farm; it was all that tractor could do to move those old steps a few feet from the house where they remain today.

In 2003, with the help of my family, the Homestead Retreat was one of the first guest houses to open in Grafton. With a new front porch, the mud room converted into a sunroom, a fresh coat of paint and a few pillows we were ready to go. But mostly it's just like mom and dad left it. Yes, there is running water and indoor plumbing!!

Converting my childhood home into the Grafton Homestead Retreat has been, and still remains, a labor of love.