Many buildings were moved here from their original locations and refurbished in a style fitting of their time periods that range from 1831, when Naperville was founded, through the early 20th century.

George Martin II was the son of an immigrant from Scotland and made his fortune by taking advantage of local resources.

Martin then developed a limestone quarry along the DuPage, which became very successful in 1871 due to the high demand for stone after the Great Chicago Fire.

The Center will also host a Field Watchers program for school-aged children to get them interested in agriculture and other STEM careers.

From 1982 until 2019, this included Civil War Days, a two-day reenactment, where the settlement was converted into a large encampment and more than 300 actors and actresses at a time re-enacted historical life and battles.