DeKalb in DeKalb County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
William George Eckhardt
(Site of Eckhardt's Home and Seed House)
Photographed by Molly Fischer, May 15, 2022
1. William George Eckhardt Marker
In the early 20th century William George Eckhardt (1879-1959) was a pioneer in DeKalb County's leading role in agricultural innovation. Eckhardt, an agronomy professor at the University of Illinois, was an expert in the blossoming field of soil science. On June 1, 1912, the DeKalb County Soil Improvement Association predecessor to the DeKalb County Farm Bureau and DeKalb Agricultural Association (DAA) hired Eckhardt as a soil scientist to "establish permanent and profitable agricultural practices." Eckhardt's charge was to "improve farming practices within the county and to oversee farming operations." This forward-thinking decision to hire Eckhardt as the nation's first farm advisor gave birth to the Farm Bureau system.
Eckhardt's family owned this house from 1919 until his widow Eva died in 1980. To the north sat Eckhardt's seed house, founded as the Corn Belt Seed Company in 1925. Eckhardt had for years sought to solve the problem of seed corn rotting in storage. By 1920, he patented a technique of forced-air drying (a process still in use today) and in the following years perfected designs of drying bins and
this page online
Erected by DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association (www.daaha.org) and Illinois State Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Education • Horticulture & Forestry. In addition, it is included in the Illinois State Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1879.
Location. 41° 55.653′ N, 88° 45.637′ W. Marker is in DeKalb, Illinois, in DeKalb County. It is on Clifford Drive just west of Hickory Street, on the left when traveling west. This marker stands along a turnout-like road that turns off of Clifford Drive in DeKalb. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 430 Clifford Dr, Dekalb IL 60115, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Illinois. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Northern Illinois University (approx. Ό mile away); DeKalb World War I Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); DeKalb War Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Barbed Wire Manufacturing (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Winged Ear Logo (approx. 0.6 miles away); Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (approx. 0.6 miles away); Jacob Haish (approx. 0.6 miles away); DeKalb Poultry Research, Inc. (approx. 2.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in DeKalb.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 16, 2022, by Molly Fischer of DeKalb, Illinois. This page has been viewed 391 times since then and 51 times this year. Last updated on September 8, 2026, by Matthew Stevens of Washington, Illinois. Photo 1. submitted on May 16, 2022, by Molly Fischer of DeKalb, Illinois. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
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