Henderson County Historical Society

Henderson County Historical Society's Artifact of the Week

This week’s Artifact of the Week is a continuation of last week’s article.  Featured this week is another section of the 3 ft x 9 ft mural painted by the late Marjory Barber, Media, titled “Farming” on display at the Henderson County Museum.

Last week’s section of the mural depicted Native Americans farming and planting the land by hand.  This week’s section depicts the next two stages of farming progression.

On the left are early settlers of Illinois using oxen and a one bottom hand plow for the grueling work of “breaking the prairie.”  Oxen were strong and well suited for the work and cost half as much as a horse or mule, making them more affordable for the pioneers. A log cabin and covered wagon, in the background, show the progression of housing and transportation of the times.  This would be the scene in central Illinois for much of the time between the 1830’s through the late 1800’s.

The scene on the right depicts farm life from the late 1800’s through the turn of the century.  Once the prairie had been broken, a team of horses could be used as the work was a bit lighter.  The farmhouse, barn, windmill and silo in the background show significant improvements in the living condition and animal husbandry but make no mistake, farm life was still hard work.  

Fun Fact:  Electricity did not hit rural Illinois until the 1930s.  Only 13% of Illinois farms had electricity in 1935.  Thanks to the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, those numbers increased with rural cooperatives spurring major construction efforts over the next two decades.  By 1959, 90% of Illinois farms were electrified.