Click to learn the home's history or take a photo tour. James Millikin was born on the family homestead in Ten Mile, Pennsylvania, in 1827. The second son of a prosperous farmer, he grew up in the midst of a large family. Though his father provided a formal education for all of his children, he also insisted they learn the virtue of hard work on the farm. During his college years, Millikin became fascinated with stories of the vast opportunities in the Midwest and convinced his father that driving livestock west would offer a large return on their investment. In the summer of 1849 Millikin and his father drove stock to Indiana, and the following spring he took a second herd even farther, to Danville, Illinois. His first career had begun. For the next several years Millikin bought stock in the east and disposed of it in the Midwest. By the mid 1850's he was buying large tracts of land in Illinois and Iowa, obtaining some for only a dollar an acre. Before he was 30 years old, Millikin was both wealthy and highly respected as a livestock dealer and breeder. Though Decatur, Illinois was only a small town of 3,000 in the 1850's, Millikin visualized a fine future and moved to Decatur in 1856. On New Year's, 1857, James Millikin married Anna Bernice Aston, the daughter of a Presbyterian minister in nearby Mt. Zion. During the first year of their marriage the Millikins lived in the Revere House in Decatur, and then moved to a cottage on the northeast corner of William and Edward Streets. Their marriage did not produce children, and they spent the next several years making their mark on community life and traveling. During these travels they collected many of the art objects that were displayed later in their home. During the first three years of his marriage, Millikin divested himself of his stock and land holdings. In 1860 he held 75,000 and was persuaded by local business leaders to start a bank. Though times were precarious for such a venture, Millikin agreed to it and the community as the main beneficiary of his decision. Millikin bought the tract of land that includes the Homestead site in 1862. The original tract consisted of 22 acres which Millikin purchased for $2,200. Though considered very expensive at the time, pieces of the tract were gradually sold and Millikin regained his initial investment many times over. He retained six acres for the homestead. He began building the homestead in 1875. The Millikins lived there for 34 years. In the early years James Millikin was involved in the growth of the Millikin Bank, and he later devoted his energies to founding and then developing Millikin University. Both the bank and the university remain integral parts of the community today. James Millikin died in 1909 and Anna Millikin followed shortly after in 1913. Created by the Web Publishing class at Millikin University, Spring 2000. Last Updated: June 13, 2000