The True Story of the Ben Fuller Farmhouse

While Benjamin Fuller's courageous trek on horseback from New York to this area in 1834 to find land for his expanding family is a well- known aspect of the history of Fullersburg, Ben's personal attributes

of proactivity and innovation are not as widely recognized. Ben was able to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing environment during the early Settlement Era by adapting to change and educating himself in order to accomplish the tasks at hand for pioneer living. George Ruchty tells us in The Fullers of Fullersburg that Ben observed the muddy streets in 1834 Chicago; it is also possible that Ben, a carpenter by trade, made a mental note about the newly built St. Mary's Church there, close to Ft. Dearborn. The church was constructed by Augustine Taylor with "balloon framing" that avoided mortised beams and fittings by using 2 by 4's and 2 by 6's held together with nails instead of joints. Remarkably,Taylor was able to construct a 36 by 24 ft. church for approximately $400, which was much less expensive than traditional means. Ben would also need to build a home for his family, and eventually built a rectangular home with balloon framing in Fullersburg.

While Ben was exploring Chicago, his communication skills helped him to learn about the natural physical attributes of Brush Hill west of his location. He visitied this area, then returned to his family in New York and convinced his parents, wife, and eleven siblings to move with him the following year to Brush Hill (which became Fullersburg). Ben's first home in this area was a log cabin, and it

was ttypical of the first shelter built by settlers arriving in Illinois. However, Ben's cabin was located near a Potawatomi camp, where Ben demonstrated one of his many skills by teaching the

Potawatomi living there how to shoe their horses. His grateful neighbors then gave Ben's young son John a pony as a token of their gratitude.

Other neighbors of Ben Fuller include the Torode family, whose letters to relatives document the struggles facing the new settlers. The Torodes built a dam to power a sawmill on Salt Creek; the family needed fencing to help contain their farm animals. However, in the spring of 1840, it appears that a regional early spring thaw called a freshet occurred, causing widespread flooding. Historical documentation indicates that the dam built by the Torode family washed out in 1840, which undoubtedly impacted the rapidly growing settlement of Fullersburg, including the Fullers.

If the sawmill had been used in local construction, which seems likely, the use of the mill was a setback to those who relied upon its use.

The Torodes also write about the crowding in their home as they dealt with the challenges of settling in a new area. In June, 1836, J. J. Torode writes about building a larger home with a second floor and being unable to uncrowd their cabin. On 11/26/1838, J.J. Torode writes, "We are pushing a temporary addition to our hous as our caben is too small for our Family." We can speculate that Ben and his wife Olive also experienced similar conditions in their initial cabin, as they had four young children by 1840 (with another child to come). Natural light was also limited

in the cabins due to the difficulty in building and maintaining windows.

It seems logical that Ben decided to alleviate his crowded household around that time by building a home with balloon frame construction, which became the Ben Fuller Farmhouse. The basic footprint of the house, excluding the front porch, measures approximately 20 by 28 ft., or just over 1,000 sq. ft (with two stories). The farmhouse was located at 948 York Rd. in Fullersburg, on the west side of the road, until it was moved in August of 1977. We do not know why Ben chose to use this type of building for his home, but we do know that other families (such as the Torodes) were also building larger homes made of various materials to replace their initial cabins. Although Ben's farmhouse probably appeared large to the settlers of Brush Hill, numerous other larger homes would soon arise in the area which created a more realistic perspective.

The rapid population growth of northern Illinois during the early Settlement Era led to rampant land speculation and inflation which were followed by a widespread banking crisis. A financial panic occurred in 1837, which initiated a depression that endured into the mid-1840's. Torode family members wrote in November of 1838 about financial distress around the country; banks had

suspended business and "lacked up thair vaults," and a drought had occurred, impacting farming.

Ben Fuller was able to endure this economic downturn and seize opportunities that were presented.

In 1843, he purchased the Castle Inn and built the Fullersburg Tavern (which became the Grand Pacific Hotel), which had a tunnel beneath them that sheltered freedom-seekers. Interestingly, he also built the "Farmer's Home," a general store and a gathering place for people of the area. Half-timbered beams and bricks were used in creating this structure, which demonstrates Ben's versatility and adaptability in making decisions with limited choices in challenging times. This later became the York Tavern, a historic establishment still in operation just north of Salt Creek in Oak Brook.

Ben Fuller remained in the Farmhouse which bears his name until his death in 1868. He was an innovative planner and entrepreneur. His father, Jacob Fuller, passed away one year prior to Ben. Ben was one of twelve children, and he built his Farmhouse twenty five years prior to his father's death; a family inheritance was not a factor in its construction. Therefore, the unique balloon frame style of the Ben Fuller Farmhouse and the challenges of the Settlement Era in which it was constructed contribute to the fascinating history of the Fullersburg Historic District, which includes the personal attributes of Ben Fuller, the founder of Fullersburg.

Sue Devick, M.A.