History
In 1836 brothers Samuel and Daniel Harshbarger migrated to central Illinois and homesteaded for land by building a log cabin. Seven generations later their descendants gathered together to move the cabin about a mile from it's original location to what is now the Harshbarger Homestead Retreat Center. The project involved Harshbargers from all around the country as well as local community members interested in preserving this relic from the past.
Today, the cabin houses photographs, artifacts, and documents depicting the history of the Harshbarger family and pioneer life as it once was on the Illinois prairie. The cabin is the oldest standing building in Piatt County and is considered an historic landmark. Guests at the Retreat Center enjoy visiting the cabin and browsing through the big "cabin book" which documents the restoration process from start to finish in pictures, newspaper articles, family correspondence and award letters.