Robert Allerton: His Parks and Legacies

Robert Allerton referred to his Piatt County, Illinois, home as the Farms--a simple name that was hardly descriptive of his huge mansion and many acres of beautifully landscaped gardens and trails dotted with sculpture. By the time he donated his mansion, gardens, and part of his farm acreage to the University of Illinois in 1946, the Farms had attracted Allerton's friends and acquaintances from all over the world, including artists, writers, and celebrities such as William Jennings Bryan a...