I looked back over my journal entries and found that I actually started working at Morton Manor in early August 1994. It was some time during that summer that I saw the property for the first time.
I was also working for Wheaton Park District at Cosley Animal Farm at that time. A girl I worked with, named Dallas had been working part time at Morton Manor for a while and was telling us all about all the exotic animals up there. One day she came to me and said she was moving to California and asked if I would take over for her at the estate, looking after the animals. It was perfect timing. I had just been passed up for being promoted to full time at Cosley and was ready for a new opportunity.
I'll never forget the first time I went there. Driving up County Farm Road, turning left at North Avenue and right on Morton Road. Turning in the driveway I saw a what looked more like a narrow road that stretched straight ahead a good distance. There was a 7 foot high chain link fence that surrounded the 100+ acres and a large automatic gate kept out curoius folks. On the key pad type: *1876 and the gate would open.
The Manor rose high and stately in red brick. It was solid and strong and even though you could see from the outside that it wasn't that large, once you stepped inside you were lost. Beyond the walls of the manor stretched lawns, gardens and a variety of different trees and shrubs. Then they were all over grown, but it was easy to imagine what it would have looked like when it was well kept.
No one lived in the Manor, but there were two other houses and a cottage on the property that were occupied. This place was in the middle of a busy and fast growing Chicago suburb. Driving onto that estate was like entering another world.
I was thrilled to be able to work there in what would soon become a full time job. I had no idea what I was getting in to.
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