Generations of Agriculture Honored by Canton Area Heritage Center
By: Hannah Chatterton, The Forgottonia Times™
During the Canton Bicentennial, inside the quaint Historic Train Depot, visitors are transported through nearly two centuries of agricultural perseverance and innovation. As part of Canton's Bicentennial Celebration, the Canton Area Heritage Center has curated a remarkable exhibit honoring Fulton County's Sesquicentennial Farms — those held in continuous family ownership for 150 years or more.
The exhibit is a tribute not only to the tools and techniques that shaped local farming, but to the families whose labor has sustained the region's economic and cultural identity for generations. Each display offers a deeply personal lens into agricultural life, featuring family photographs, decorations from old farm houses, and hand-forged implements that once tilled the fertile Illinois soil.
Nine families are highlighted, including the Everly and Buchen families of Avon, the Roberts family from Bryant, Stephens family of Astoria, Dare family and Randolph family, both from Canton, Blout family of Ellisville, Thum family and Williams family from Smithfield, and the Chatertons from Avon. Their lineage stretches back to early American settlers and even one family from German immigrants, with some ancestors having claimed government-issued land grants awarded to War of 1812 veterans. These families laid the groundwork for what would become the enduring agricultural landscape of west-central Illinois.
Organized with care and historical precision, the exhibit presents both a nostalgic glance at rural life while also presenting agriculture as the defining business of the region—steadfast and unshaken amid the rise and fall of other industries. Tools on display range from cast iron scales and seed bags to antique plows, many of which would be foreign to the mechanized farmer of today. Yet, each item speaks volumes about the resourcefulness and endurance of those who came before.
The Heritage Center's commitment to telling these stories gives light to the intangible heritage of work ethic, stewardship, and family legacy that are quintessential to our region. The display will be moved to and permanently showcased in the Heritage Center's museum for all to enjoy at the conclusion of the Bicentennial week.
In honoring these families, the exhibit pays tribute to a tradition that has not only weathered time but has continually nourished it. Agriculture may be the oldest industry in Fulton County—but thanks to the Heritage Center, it feels more vital and alive than ever.
