Jordan's Post #6: The Crabill Homestead

In 1808, David and Barbara Crabill moved into the Springfield area from Loudoun County, Virginia (present-day West Virginia). Although the Crabill’s were relatively poor, they eventually prospered. David had worked for the Voss brothers as a farm laborer and Barbara worked as a domestic. They had twelve children born between 1806 and 1830. Eventually, David Crabill purchased his own land and expanded his farm, which included a mill and an orchard. When he died in 1839, he had acquired over 1,000 acres and his net worth totaled about $75,000, even despite co-signing a $15,000 loan that had defaulted.

            During the years of his prosperity, David Crabill built a house that overlooked his land. The house itself is designed in the Federal or Federalist style. It contains two bedrooms, a lumber room (for storage), a parlour, and a kitchen. Although the kitchen was attached to the house, it was built as a separate room. As former residents of Virginia, the Crabills were familiar with the architectural style of America’s South.

            In the 1960s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acquired the former Crabill homestead and many other adjacent acres. The original construction plan was designed to include a large spillway in the same location as the Crabill Homestead. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recognized the historical value of the home and built the spillway slightly to the south of the house. Unfortunately, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not practice proper management of the house. They did not have a plan in place to ensure the long-term preservation of the property. The house was rented to tenants and families for several years. Sometimes, the house was vacant and suffered through some vandalism.

In 1973, however, the Clark County Historical Society (CCHS) obtained the homestead from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The CCHS appreciated the history behind the Crabill house and undertook a restoration project to refurbish the home. Only the brickwork on the house is original to the Crabill structure. The rest of the house has been restored to look similar to the appearance created by David Crabill’s original plan. The CCHS also strove to recreate the inside of the house as it would have looked during the days of David and Barbara Crabill.

The CCHS carried on the legacy of the Crabill Homestead for decades. In the 2000s, the CCHS determined that they would not be able to continue to maintain the house. For a brief period of time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took back management of the house while they searched for new proprietors. If a new organization willing to care for the estate could not be found, the house was going to be demolished. George Rogers Clark Park believed that the house was worth preserving. In 2007, George Rogers Clark Park took the responsibility of maintaining the house.

Although George Rogers Clark Park is accountable to preserve the house, the entire management of the Crabill Homestead is a joint effort. The homestead grounds are still owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Although mostly concerned with the maintenance of the Clarence J. Brown Reservoir, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contains an Office of History and other certain policies that recognize a need to preserve landmarks of historical value. Since the Crabill Homestead is on the National Register of Historic Places, the place has evident value. The story of the Crabill Homestead show the difficulties of preserving historic houses and the need for the effort, often of multiple organizations, to save history.

-information from George Rogers Clark Park, Clark County Historical Society archives, and its staff member or volunteer Alice Dayhoff-Miller