This is a select and edited portion from an English research paper written by Ashley E. Bartelt on November 25, 2014.
Kobayashi family at Riverbank in Geneva, c. 1928. Pictured left to right: Suye, Sumiko, Noburo, Michiko, and Susumu.
Nestled on the banks of the Fox River just south of downtown Geneva, Illinois, the Fabyan Forest Preserve covers around 200 acres of picturesque landscape that converges on the gently flowing waterway. In addition to many recreational pathways, this site also offers the chance to visit and explore three engaging, interpretive sites: the Fabyan Villa Museum, a Frank Lloyd Wright redesigned home, the Fabyan Japanese Garden, and the Fabyan Windmill. These monuments comprise the remnants of the Riverbank estate built by Colonel George and Nelle Fabyan after their initial land purchase in 1905. For almost 25 years, they amassed an expansive property full of eclectic hobbies and ambitious business dealings with the Lincoln Highway Route 31 neatly dividing the two: west of the highway focusing on acoustics and codebreaking and east of the highway focusing on domestic endeavors. When the wealthy and influential couple died childless just before 1940, most of their domestic property and collections was acquired by the Forest Preserve District of Kane County and slowly evolved into the popular attraction currently in operation.
In promotional literature about the site, Diana Malaker, a former director of the Fabyan Villa Museum, notes that “many of the Fabyan’s workers had children who grew up on the estate, and they have given information about their lives, the Fabyans and their fabulous estate.”[1] Comprised of a large staff that could number over 100 depending on the season, such informational sources provide an intriguing, poignant gateway into life at Riverbank that delves into issues of class and experience, growing up exposed to so many wonders yet balancing that with an employed servant’s status.
This is a case study of primary and secondary sources recording the narratives of the “Children of Riverbank,” people who grew up and sometimes also worked on the estate.[2] Their knowledge of the site finds extensive representation in site literature and promotional documents, playing a large part in creating the history of the site and crafting an alluring, fantastical appeal. Focusing on three primary individuals—Sumiko Kobayashi, Don Williams, and John Butler—these childhood narratives provide a well-rounded background for the property of a personally-reclusive couple and address the way they balance the fantastical nature of what was once described as a “theme park,” with its factual history.[3] The sometimes nostalgic memories of children, colored with wonder at such a unique landscape, are tempered by desires to present factual, historically-accurate information. While the balance does not always maintain itself, the energy and flavor that it provides makes for an enjoyable venture that pleases staff and visitors alike.
Sumiko Kobayashi
In a brief biography of her father, Susumu, who worked for the Fabyans written in 1976, Sumiko writes that he “first came to the United States in 1914 at the age of 22.”[4] He met Taro Otsuka who designed the Fabyan Japanese Garden “at the Japanese YMCA in Chicago probably about 1917.”[5] Otsuka later recommended him to the Fabyans to maintain the Japanese Garden at Riverbank. Working hard to save money to provide for a family, Kobayashi soon returned to Japan to marry. The young couple moved back to the States, farmed in Florida for a few years, and eventually arrived back at Riverbank in 1925, where they spent the next 14 years working and raising their three children: Sumiko, born in Florida; Noboru; and Michiko, both of whom were born at Riverbank. After Nelle’s death in 1939, the family moved to California and was soon removed to a Japanese internment camp in Utah for about two years before finally settling in Philadelphia.
None of this is to say, however, that Sumiko’s recollections are without the occasional nostalgic, fantastic take on Riverbank. Like any child surrounded by a vast array of experiences and wonders, she allows fond, colored memories to emerge as well. For instance, in describing the Colonel, she calls him “a rugged individualist in the manner of the old captains of industry who forged the industrial bases of 20th century America... He was a tall, commanding figure of a man who...looked somewhat like Ernest Hemingway.”[6] Sumiko paints the portrait of a man almost larger than life whose estate could be equally mythical. In summarizing her time at Riverbank, she writes that “these are some of the recollections of one who spent a delightful childhood at Riverbank. It was a wonderful place to roam, explore and sometimes get into mischief.”[7] “Delightful” and “wonderful” are staples of Fabyan literature used to create an attractive atmosphere designed to draw in visitors and provide them with an entertaining experience.
L. Donald “Don” Williams
The owners of many vehicles, the Fabyans employed two chauffeurs to manage their collection: Bert Williams and Alvah Morical. Williams had met Nelle in Minnesota where he had worked on the lake where her family vacationed and, when she extended a job invitation, he accepted, arriving in 1914. He worked as “an excellent mechanic” who “also oversaw the main electrical work on the estate.”[8] He and his wife raised their family at Riverbank—Ethyl Marie, the first baby born at Riverbank in 1916; Don, born in 1920; and Robert, born in 1924. After Nelle’s death in 1939, Williams joined the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, allowing his family to stay at Riverbank while he served as a county employee until about 1968. The family maintained close ties with Riverbank throughout the years, a historical connection enhanced through Don’s efforts.
Growing up on the property, Don later worked for over 35 years in the scientific laboratories across the highway established by Colonel Fabyan. “As though under the spell of some mystical power, [Don] found himself employed as an acoustical engineer at Riverbank Laboratories, a few hundred yards up the road from his boyhood home.”[9] Written as a newspaper tribute just after Don’s death in 1998, the hyperbolic language alluding to a “spell” holding “mystical power” feeds into the overall fantastical impression of Riverbank constructed over the years, beginning with those who grew up there and extending to anyone tempted to walk through its gates.
John Butler
One of the most referenced Children of Riverbank is John Butler, son of one of the Fabyans’ cooks, Pearl, who arrived on the estate in 1917 at age 11. The Butler family moved into a small home on the site, and Mrs. Butler spent years serving meals for various levels of staff, which provided opportunities for young John to interact with a myriad of different people.
Between his mom’s work and, later his own at Riverbank “in various capacities on the estate for many years,” John amassed a wealth of knowledge he happily shared throughout his long life.[10] This included a mixture of fond memories, childhood reminiscences and wonderful experiences, and a working-based knowledge that provides similar scope and depth to that of Don’s contributions.
John’s story, like that of his fellow Children of Riverbank, aids in the depiction of Riverbank as a wonderful, fantastic place. A 1984 newspaper article called “‘Garden of Eden:’ Life Good at Riverbank Estate” notes that “for a young boy, it was like paradise” with John specifically quoted as saying, “It was real nice to live there. I had access to boats and animals and pools.”[11] Such tales usually find themselves balanced by recollections of working to “earn his keep,” but the overall impression remains the same; Riverbank represented wonders few others would have experienced during its time. The desire to share these lasting impressions, to build in others an appreciation of the place he cared so deeply about, radiates from every detail he relayed.
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[1] Diana Malaker, The Fabyans and Their Fabulous Estate (Geneva, IL: Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley, 2002), 8.
[2] This is a select and edited portion from an English research paper written by Ashley E. Bartelt on November 25, 2014.
[3] Malaker, The Fabyans and Their Fabulous Estate, 7.
[4] Sumiko Kobayashi, “Susumu Kobayashi: 1892-1975,” letter to Darlene Larson, January 1, 1976.
[5] Sumiko Kobayashi, “Dear Darlene,” letter to Darlene Larson, September 6, 1976.
[6] Sumiko Kobayashi, “Riverbank,” letter to Darlene Larson, January 1, 1976.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Darlene Larson and Laura Hiebert, The Fabyan Legacy (Aurora, IL: Valley Instant Printing, 1992), 3.
[9] Dick, Shewalter, “Riverbank Labs’ Tribute to Local Son,” The Geneva Republican, January 28, 1999.
[10] Larson and Hiebert, The Fabyan Legacy, 17.
[11] Ann Pierotti, “’Garden of Eden:’ Life Good at Riverbank Estate,” unknown publication, January 18, 1984.