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Spence Farm – A Brief History

In 1830, our fourth great-grandfather Valentine Darnall came to Illinois from Kentucky. He bought 160 acres from the government for $1.25 an acre. By the late 1800’s, his grandson Malachi Martin (MM) Spence was in charge of the farm business and the land comprised nearly 1,000 acres. There were 36 buildings on the property including barns, sheds, milk houses, chicken houses, and tenant houses. Horses were sold to England and cattle shipped to Chicago and the east coast. At one time in the farm’s history, four generations lived in the “Big House”, which was built in 1902 by MM. It was a bustling place to be.

In the 1950’s maple syrup was one of the important crops for the farm. WD Spence, MM’s son, tapped nearly 600 maple trees and sold syrup from the farm. We still make syrup today using the old syrup house and pans.

However, by 1981 the farm was down to the original 160 acres again and our Grandma Hazel, being 74, realized it was too much for her to take care of alone. She sold the house and buildings, but retained the farm ground and the 40 acre woodlot. When the house came up for sale in 1999 she was able to purchase it back and leave it as a legacy for her daughter Willa and grandson Marty.

Today Marty and his wife Kris, stewards of the farm, are restoring the buildings along with help from Marty’s mom, Willa. There are only a dozen original buildings left on the property. The oldest building dates back to the 1840’s and is a small dome topped root cellar. Eventually all the buildings will be restored and usable again.

In 2005, Spence Farm Foundation was created as a not-for-profit organization to oversee the educational programs on the farm. It is their goal to preserve the rich heritage and history of our area for many generations to come and to teach about the precious agricultural resources of our small family farms. Marty, Kris, and the Board of Directors of SFF invite you to grow with us in our exciting adventure.

We are rooted in the past, growing toward the future!

Marty’s grandpa

Martin Spence

Circa 1910

Spence Farm

& Spence Farm Foundation

Fairbury, IL.