CARROLLTON, Ill. – Few families can still claim to have the homestead and some of the surrounding farmland from 200 years ago. Steve Black, though he now lives in Arizona, cherishes this family farmstead located outside Carrollton belonging to the Black descendants. He comes home on a regular basis and is involved with local history.

Settled by an independent woman, a somewhat rarity of the time, this 7th generation farm still exists today. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is one of only a dozen Bicentennial Farms in Illinois, and according to The Legacy of Margaret Hobson Black written by family member Elizabeth Black Haas, the homestead is the oldest existing home in central Illinois. The Black Homestead offers both architectural and agricultural stories to tell. Steve Black shared that they celebrated their 200th year reunion in 2023.

The story of the Black Homestead begins with a true pioneer woman, Margaret Hobson Black. Because the Black family has meticulously kept records, family notes, photos and documents, they are able to retell her story for her descendants. The 5th of 13 children, Margaret was born Dec. 18, 1771, in Cumberland County, England. Margaret married William Black Dec. 2,1802, and they settled at Standing Stone on the edge of Wigton, England. They had three boys, John, David and William, then twins, Thomas and Elizabeth. They rented a farm until William died at the age of 41 of pneumonia on June 11, 1817, leaving Margaret a widow with five children.

Margaret and her brothers had long been keen on America. In England it was hard to own land – most belonged to the aristocracy, so most farms were rented. Margaret’s brother, Robert Hobson, came to the U.S. with his son in 1820, to establish land grants for the family. Upon arriving in New York in 1820, Steve Black shared, “They had a rather cool reception as no one liked the English on account of the War of 1812.”

Hearing of the rich prairie soil in Illinois, Robert and his son Peter set out, avoiding Indians and other forms of calamity. They traveled by stagecoach to Pittsburgh, then down the Ohio River by steamboat to Shawneetown, then overland to Edwardsville, finally staking out land for their family in Greene County. “Robert paid $1.25 an acre and they had to buy 80 acres from the land office in Edwardsville,” Steve Black said. 

In January 1821, Robert Hobson purchased 1,750 acres in his name, his brothers James and William Hobson and Margaret Black, the only woman to own land in the township. Steve shared, “Most of the land was native prairie with some parcels containing woodlands.”

On June 10, 1822, Margaret, her five children, her hired man, John Armstrong, and brother James with his family headed to America and the land her brother Robert had purchased for them. Margaret’s brother William stayed behind. Margaret was 51 at the time she took on this new adventure. They sailed first on the ship the “Niagara.” Amazingly, this shipwrecked and they had to return and board the “Yamacraw.” At sea for 47 days, they arrived in New York Sept. 4, 1822. Steve Black added, “The group avoided New York City where yellow fever was prevalent, bought horses and wagons in Jersey City, and set out for Pittsburgh. In Pittsburgh they decided to try flat boats and sold the horses.”

Through a variety of travels in flatboats, wagons and horses and steamboats, on Dec. 9, 1822, they finally arrived at the town that Robert formed and called Mt. Pleasant. The family stayed in log cabins that Robert had prepared. They survived the harsh weather subsisting on mostly corn bread that they called “corn dodgers.” Anxious to move into a permanent residence, Margaret signed a contract for brickwork on her home April 19, 1823. The brick was made from clay dug and fired onsite. Steve Black said Margaret paid $6.50 per 1,000 bricks. He estimates there are 120,000 or 150,000 bricks used building the house. “I think it cost around $1,300.”

The house, a two-story brick federal style home, was completed by Nov. 30, 1823. While not completely done, the family moved in during December to a home designed like the family house in Wheelbarrow, England.

The move to America was not without tragedy, Margaret’s son John died of consumption in May 1823, perhaps from the harsh winter the previous year.  Over the next few years, Margaret’s holdings increased, and she remained an independent woman raising her children, and eventually signing her land holdings over to her sons David, William and Thomas.  She passed on Feb. 7, 1854, at the age of 82, in the home she had established 31 years prior.

The Black Homestead has changed over the years. When a new road went through the area, Margaret’s son Thomas Black changed the front entrance to accommodate the new roadway. “When the house was remodeled in 1855 the columns were added,” Steve Black said.

A wash house and carriage house were also added. A brick smokehouse was added to the property in 1865, Steve Black said. In 1918, a Delco light system was added to the house at a cost of $468.

In September 1998, the family celebrated the 175th anniversary of the homestead.

The Black family has a lot of local agricultural firsts. William Black was one of the first men in the area to breed thoroughbred cattle. He was also responsible for purchasing the first reaping machine, a Manny reaper (made in Rockford, Ill.).  He bought this in partnership with William Eldred. Selling his interest to Eldred, he then bought a “Hussey” reaper and later a “Buckeye,” two-wheel reaper. In her book, Haas states, “William was the first man in Greene County to sow 100 acres of wheat and get it harvested and to market.”

In a 1910 census, the Black Homestead Farm, besides the acreage, home and buildings, had various animals that included cows, pigs, horses, and chickens. From the farm they sold milk, butter, fowl and eggs.

The first tractor they owned was an International Harvester 15-30 Titan that came to the farm from Fishback and Borlin in 1918, for $1,485.25. 

Two barns were onsite, one a cattle barn, and another, a horse barn built in the 1880s or so. In 1927, a devastating tornado destroyed the cattle barn and the Centerville school, which was just down the road from the homestead. In her book, Haas wrote, “Robert T. Black and his son Thomas were two of the first people to reach the school in the aftermath. All the children inside the school survived, but sadly, the teacher, Miss Annie Keller, was killed.”

Annie Keller saved 16 children by telling them to get under their desks, she didn’t have time to get under her own. “Grandpa and my uncle brought kids here for a place to go. The tornado hit buildings outside of Carrolton,” Steve Black shared.

Steve Black, after retirement, farmed the family ground from 2001-2011 before moving to Arizona. Prior to farming, Steve worked 31 years for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Working on environmental projects, Steve has continued to assist in conservation efforts.