Prairie Grass to Corn Stalk:
A History of Farming in Central Illinois
Design Brief
March 2010 – April 2011
Temporary and Traveling Exhibit
Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site
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Big Idea and Main Themes
Curatorial Committee: Rebecca Vaughn, KatieWerkmeister
Big Idea:
Land, crops, market, and the choices people made created the farming culture and landscape of
Coles County as representative of trends in the Cornbelt.
Themes:
The exhibit will engage in a focal thematic approach, centering on the main idea of people’s
choices as they relate to farming. The focal approach entails a single major idea, people’s
choices, from which radiate subthemes. In this instance, the subthemes are land, crops, and
market.
Take Home Messages:
I. Land

When settlers arrived they encountered a diverse ecosystem consisting of
woodland and tallgrass prairie that the settlers cultivated.

Farmers adapted to the Central Illinois environment, for example, the use of the
John Deere plow revolutionized the amount of land that could be tilled by one
farm family, which resulted in a much higher crop yield (1880 Coles County
Agricultural Census).
II. Crops

Corn was the main crop grown in Coles County between 1820 and 1920 shifting
from the foundation of diversified agriculture to the foundation of agribusiness.

In the beginning, corn was used for livestock feed, domestic use (ranging from
homemade whiskey to corn cob handles for small tools to filling for mattresses)
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and as a means of income. Later, corn and soybeans became two dominant cash
crops.

Corn was not the only crop grown in Coles County. Other crops include rye, oats,
and wheat. Broomcorn was important economic export beginning in the 1850s.
III. Market

1820 to 1920 demonstrates a shift from subsistence farming to production
farming. The Lincoln and Sargent families serve as examples of this phenomenon.

Wagons, waterways, and railroads facilitated the transportation of goods to
market.
IV. People
 Responding to outside pressures, farm families made choices concerning what
crops to grow, what methods to use as new farming technology was introduced,
and how to market their crops.
 The farming profession influenced the area in terms of landscape, local business,
job opportunity, technology, and family dynamics.
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Exhibition Planning Problems
Registrar Committee:
Loran Berg, Stephanie Martin, Nicole Webb
One of the main concerns for our exhibit at the Lincoln Log Cabin is the relationship and
balance between images, text and objects. Through our front-end evaluations it was found that
many visitors look towards the objects first, images came second and often text was last. With
our main concepts being slightly abstract, much attention will have to be paid to the text;
choosing words carefully in order to not be too text heavy. It may be a challenge to balance these
key parts of the exhibit together within the space.
This also leads to another problem dealing with artifacts. The Lincoln Log Cabin has a
great collection of objects dating from the 1840’s or so, but little with anything before or after
that. With only a portion of our exhibit dealing with that particular time frame, an issue may
arise with finding other objects. This may be where more images and diagrams can be used to
show concepts visually rather than having physical objects. Also, there is potential to contact
other Illinois state institutions or the Illinois State Museum. If needed, there are also
opportunities to contact centennial farmers for images of farms or farming implements, as well
as documents and stories.
Another collection and object related issue that may arise is the pure size of some of the
objects that would ideally be shown within the gallery. We will have to consider possible
alternative areas to display larger items, or the possibility of large-scale diagrams or images to
represent these objects.
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Point of View for the Exhibit
Education Committee:
Anna Berg, Amanda Clark
We want our labels to convey both intellectual reliability and a personable, engaging
tone. In short, our voice will be a knowledgeable expert with a personal voice. We would like
the labels to make our visitors a part of the conversation. Questions will be an important
component in achieving this aim in our labels, as they are an effective way to encourage different
interpretations. We will also use quotations from primary sources to make the label copy more
dynamic and bring the choices made to life. These qualities will make our labels useful and
meaningful to the visitor. The labels will provide information that will encourage deeper
analysis by the individual.
The exhibit content will be composed in layers of labels that will be grouped by the major
themes-land, market, crops, and people’s choices. Larger, introductory labels for each theme
will be used to orient people to that specific topic, while the detailed labels will relate to specific
artifacts and images.
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Design Opportunities and Constraints
Design Committee:
Anne Coats, Lindsay Wieland, Jenn Walta
Numerous opportunities and constraints present themselves for the design of our exhibit
in the Sargent Gallery at the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site. The overall size of the
gallery is small and limits the use of large farming equipment as artifacts. The covered portico in
front of the Visitor Center might offer an alternative location for large farming equipment that
help tell our story but do not fit in the gallery space. Also, the open plan of the room permits us
to create our own traffic flow by building a central platform to display.
After looking at the results of the summative evaluation we conducted on “From Fiber to
Fabric,” we noted that many visitors did not recognize a distinction between the permanent
exhibit and the temporary exhibit in the Sargent Gallery. Also noted in the summative
evaluation was that the multiple doorways leading into the gallery creates confusion regarding
where visitors should enter and begin viewing the exhibit. We propose using orientation markers
at the entrance and exit of the gallery space to help define the new space and identify the
intended beginning of the exhibit for the visitor.
The existing lighting in the gallery presents constraints. The track fixtures offer good
lighting around the perimeter of the gallery. However, the light in the center of the room is quite
limited which would make reading text or viewing images difficult on the central platform we
propose to utilize. Bulbs could be changed or nonpermanent lights could be installed to adjust the
light levels in that space.
The Pop-Up display presents opportunities and constraints in our exhibit. As a
freestanding element, it can be used as a self-contained traveling component of our exhibit.
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However, since the Pop-Up will be providing a summary of the exhibit, it would be redundant
within the exhibit space. Also, during the summative evaluation of “From Fiber to Fabric,” we
noted that most visitors merely paused at the text-heavy Pop-Up and moved on without a
thorough reading.
We propose moving the Pop-Up out of the gallery and into the lobby of the Visitor
Center. We feel the advantages would be two-fold. First of all, it would free-up more space in
the gallery for artifacts. The front-end evaluation respondents preferred the use of artifacts to
text and images in conveying information in exhibits. In our results, 76% of the respondents
ranked artifacts in the top two of six options given. Secondly, since the Pop-Up will be designed
as a stand-alone traveling component, it can present a larger context for the exhibit in the lobby
that might encourage casual visitors to extend their visit into the gallery.
A final opportunity presented by the exhibit will be the development of three-dimensional
visual aids to communicate some of the more abstract points raised in the presentation of farming
history. For example, we propose displaying jars filled with varying amounts of resin-sealed
kernels of corn to compare how much corn was grown in the area at different times, or in
different areas.
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Benefits of the Exhibition
Registrar Committee
Loran Berg, Stephanie Martin, Nicole Webb
This exhibit directly expresses the Lincoln Log Cabin mission statement by interpreting
mid 19th century rural life in East Central Illinois. We will provide greater contrast between the
Lincoln and Sargent families by way of farming and agriculture.
This exhibit will benefit the visitors by detailing the choices farmers had with forces such
as land, crops, consumption, and market. We hope to ensure that after people view the exhibit,
they will take the knowledge they learned and begin to analyze farming in Coles County today.
This will both increase knowledge about the farming at Lincoln Log Cabin, but also further
understanding of the choices that farmers made in the past and forces that affected these
decisions, which ultimately created the landscape of Coles County today.
Through the process of creating this exhibit our class will learn a lot from our individual
roles as curators, registrars, designers, educators and photographers and the unique roles that
each of these positions brings to the exhibit. Everything from choosing artifacts to writing labels
and placing objects in cases will be valuable experience that we share and be able to use in the
future. We will also gain extensive knowledge of how to research an exhibit and eventually
become experts on Coles County agriculture. This is an invaluable experience that we then get to
share with the visitors to the exhibit.
This exhibit also greatly benefits Lincoln Log Cabin. In a time with economic lows, it is
essential to bring in different and exciting exhibits that provide learning experiences. By bringing
in a new exhibit, there will be a renewed awareness of the site resulting in increased visitation.
By focusing on local farming, we hope to engage people who would be particularly interested,
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such as farmers and area high school FFA and local farm groups, the Coles County Farm Bureau
is one example.
We plan to encourage these groups to attend the exhibit by contacting local newspapers
and spreading the word through the groups themselves. Other publicity options could possibly
include speakers during the opening to broaden the experience even further. These events will
be advertised through local newspapers, media sources, and the university.
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Conceptual Planning Diagram
Photography Committee:
Anna Berg, Nicole Webb, Jenn Walta
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Educational Goals
Photography and Education Committees:
Anna Berg, Amanda Clark, Jenn Walta, Nicole Webb
The big idea of our exhibit is essentially two-fold. We will be focusing on the forces at
work and the historical context of farming and farming culture in Coles County, but we also
want to demonstrate the complexity of the ordinary decisions made by farmers from 1820-1920.
Thus, we have divided our educational goals into two categories: cognitive and affective.
The cognitive goals are fairly broad, and, to borrow Serrell’s terminology, “authorityled.” We want visitors to have a general understanding of why farmers chose to farm and what
they chose to farm, and how land, crops, and market played into these varied decisions. Due to
the breadth and complexity of the themes, it will be important to organize this information
clearly. In conjunction with the rest of the exhibit design team, we will devise a visual way
(such as color coding the labels or a timeline) to organize the information that conveys the takehome messages.
We intend to focus on artifacts as the primary communication medium in our exhibit,
using other media types like text and images as support. For example, to communicate some of
the differences between production and subsistence farming, we will juxtapose tools from
Lincoln’s farm and tools from Sargent’s farm. To contrast diversified farming with agribusiness,
we will juxtapose artifacts that indicate changing scales of operation. Labels will point out the
differences in technology that might not be obvious to twenty-first century visitors.
The affective goals revolve around the fact that farming was a complex enterprise, and to
achieve these goals, we will be adopting Serrell’s “peer group” model. Based off of the
summative evaluation, we learned that visitors often talk to each other about the exhibit they are
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viewing. We want the visitors to reflect on the vast array of choices available to farmers and to
discuss these choices and decisions with fellow visitors in the exhibit. We will be incorporating
a variety of interpretive strategies in order to do so. An illustrative example is a “What Would
You Do?” interactive panel, which will feature one farmer’s difficulty (found through diaries or
records) and his or her solution. With a little contextual information, the visitor can consider
what they would do in a similar situation.
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Exhibit Rendering
Design Committee:
Anne Coats, Jenn Walta, Lindsay Wieland
Key Design Proposals:

Orientation markers at Entrance and Exit of Exhibit

Floating Panels away from the wall to bring text and images closer to the visitor and not
just as background for artifacts

Central platform to define “U” traffic pattern in gallery space and display large artifacts
and visual aids

Photographic Murals on walls to bring the feeling of the agricultural landscape into the
gallery
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Exhibit Outline
Curatorial Committee:
Rebecca Vaughn, Katie Werkmeister
Working title: History of Farming Corn in Coles County
Big Idea
Land, crops, market, and the choices people made created the farming culture and
landscape of Coles County as representative of trends in the Cornbelt.
I. Introduction

Introduction to big idea, forces of land, food, market, and general introduction to families
to be discussed.

3 revolutions in agricultural methods: human power until 1820, then animal power from
1830-1910, and internal combustion after 1910.
II. Land
A. Introduction to history of farming corn in Coles County
1. When did settlers come to Coles County and why?
2. What did settlers see when they arrived?
B. Farming the prairie
1. Early settlers were from Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana
2. The settlers cleared most of the prairie in Central Illinois by the 1850s.
a. Mention specific ethnic groups- ex. English, German, etc.
3. What were the methods of farming?
a. Human, Livestock, Combustion Engine
4. Drainage transformed the landscape and made farming possible in more
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areas.
C. Reasons corn is suited to prairie land
D. Sargents/ Lincolns /other families as part of the big picture
E. Built environment to adapt to the forces of nature (homes, barns, corncribs)
III. Food
A. What crops were grown here?
1. Corn was the main crop grown in Coles County (but not the only one) since
the 1830s.
2. Varieties of corn grown in Coles County:
a. Flint
b. Dent
c. Sweet corn
3. Brief mention of other crops grown in Coles County
a. Oats were the second main crop. Soybeans were first grown in Coles
County in 1919.
b. Wheat, buckwheat, rye, broomcorn, and barley were also grown.
4. Early uses of corn- 1820’s. Used every part of the plant
a. Corn uses and products for consumption (human and animal).
b. Cobs: Fuel, handles for small tools, in the privy, barnyard litter,
household uses, for bartering, whiskey.
c. Husks: writing, shock absorption (pillows, cushions, etc.), dolls
d. Stalks: Fodder, scarecrows, protection and insulation of houses
e. Industrialized uses of corn
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B. Sargents/ Lincolns/ other families
IV. Market
A. The shift from subsistence to production
1. Early examples of production: Sargents
2. Resistance
3. Acceptance and consequences
B. Transport of crops
1. Early roads
2. Rivers
3. Railroads
C. Propagating and processing
1. Seed corn companies
2. Broom corn assisted in building Coles County economy.
a. Provided income for farmers, suppliers, and dealers.
D. Storage
1. Farm storage
2. Elevators/ middlemen
E. Sargents/ Lincolns/ other families
V. Conclusion
A. Raise questions about the choices of today, things to ponder on the way home
1. Some possibilities:
a. What would you do if you could no longer feed your family with the
crops you grew?
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b. How do the forces of land, food, and market affect farmers today?
Preliminary Sources:
Agriculture censuses-Booth Library
Angle, Paul, ed. Prairie State: Impressions of Illinois, 1673-1967, by travelers and
other observers. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1968.
Bogue, Allan. From Prairie to Cornbelt. Ames Iowa: Iowa State University Press, 1994.
Booth Library Farm Life exhibit podcasts
Coles County Fair Board
Faragher, John Mack. Sugar Creek: Life of the Illinois Prairie. New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1986.
Fitzgerald, Deborah. The Business of Breeding Hybrid Corn in Illinois 1890-1940. Cornell
University Press, 1990.
Grotewold, Andreas. Regional Changes in Corn Production in the United States from
1909-1949. Chicago: The University of Chicago, 1955.
Hardeman, Nicholas P. Shucks, Shocks, and Hominy Blocks: Corn as a Way of Life in Pioneer
America. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1981.
Hilliard, Sam B.”Hog Meat and Cornpone: Foodways in the Antebellum South.” in Material
Life in America, ed. Robert Blair St. George. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1988.
311-332.
Hoffmeister, Donald F. Mammals of Illinois. University of Illinois Press, 2002.
Hurt, R. Douglas. Problems of Plenty: The American Farmer in the Twentieth Century. West
Layfette, IN: Purdue University Press, 2002
Kline, Ronald. R. Consumers in the Country: Technology and Social Change in Rural America.
Ladd, Marta Cates and Constance Schneider Kimball. History of Coles County 1876- 1976:
Coles County, Illinois. Charleston and Mattoon Bicentennial Commission, 1976.
Meyer, Carrie A. Days of the Family Farm From the Golden Age through the Great Depression.
Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, September 10, 2007.
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Trager, Louise M. (Chicago?) 1942 thesis on broom corn: “ Broom Corn Industry of
Coles County Ill”
Walters, William D. The Heart of the Cornbelt: An Illustrated History of Corn Farming
in McLean County. McLean County Historical Society, December 1997.
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APPENDIX B:
Preliminary Artifact List
Registrar Committee:
Loran Berg, Stephanie Martin, Nicole Webb
Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site Artifacts:

Draw harrow

Double-shovel plow

Single shovel plow

Scythe

Breaking plow

Cradle scythe

Tree trunk

Hand planter

Corn planter
Coles County Historical Society Artifacts:

RR lanterns

Corn hook

Sargent paintings

Broomcorn knife

Hog scrapper

Horseshoe

Plow disk

19th c. clothing
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(Coles County Historical Society Artifacts Continued)

Corn husking glove

Corn husker (19th c. & 1900)

Farm trailer

Drainage tile
Additional Artifacts:
Ephemera:

Corn wagon postcard

Maps:

Railroad Maps (Illinois.gov)

Waterways Maps

Maps of Coles County in relation to Illinois

Maps showing the Corn Belt
Objects:

Farming clothing

Large tire

Photos:

Broomcorn-all stages

Myer’s farm

Planting/tear down

Transportation-RR

Charleston & Mattoon

Elevators
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(Objects Continued)

Businesses

Farmers
Reproductions:

Cornhusk dolls

Corn stalks

Foodstuffs