Henderson County Historical Society

Henderson County Historical Society's Artifact of the Week

This week’s Artifact of the Week is the third and final scene from Marjory Barber’s  3 ft x 9 ft mural titled “Farming” on display at the Henderson County Museum.

The scene on the left shows a farmer driving an Allis Chalmers steel-wheeled tractor, likely built in the late 1920’s, pulling a two bottom plow. The transition from horse-drawn to tractor-powered equipment was heavily underway by the mid-1930’s.  The farmstead in the background includes a traditional two-story farmhouse, a large white barn and windmill, likely still used to pump water to the livestock.

The last scene of this mural, painted by Mrs. Barber in 1968, depicts a modern farm of that time.  The farmer is driving a new Allis Chalmers tractor with rubber tires pulling a five bottom plow.  The farmstead in this scene shows the transition from two story farmhouses to ranch-style homes, wooden barns to metal machine sheds and windmills to power lines.  Another notable farming progression in this scene, is the presence of a grain drying bin.  Illinois farmers began adopting on-farm grain drying systems in the late 1950’s and 1960’s, with usage growing rapidly to handle higher moisture shelled corn, allowing for earlier harvest.

FUN FACT:  The average size of an Illinois farm in 1968 was approximately 250 acres.