Bicentennial Farm Profile – Elmwood Place

The farm today. Today the farm, owned and operated by Susan McIlroy Pierce and Henry Pierce, Jr., fourth generation of the original founder, has grown to 500 acres which is used primarily for the production of corn and soybeans. The home is listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

The farm in the past. Glen Greely McIlroy, great grandson of the founder and Susan McIlroy Pierce’s father, was known for his agricultural involvement. In 1909, he planted his first small field of soybeans to use as hay for livestock. He began planting more acres and began separating the beans from the straw. It wasn’t until 1926 when the combine was first used in Ohio that the soybean became respected as a commodity. Until then, most farmers were skeptical and laughed at those who planted the crop. In 1938, Union County farmers produced 450,000 bushels of threshed soybeans (more than any other county in the state). Within a radius of 50 miles of the Village of Irwin, 3 million bushels were grown in that year, which was more than half of the total for Ohio’s production in 1938. Today, soybeans are recognized as Ohio’s top crop and a large source of income for Ohio farmers. 

Notable ancestors and accomplishments. Although it is a productive, working farm still today, Elmwood Place is rich in ancestry and has an interesting history to be told. James M. McIlroy, grandson-in-law of George Fullington, was a Captain in the Civil War. His regiment marched over 11,000 miles and participated in 19 battles including Antietam, Gettysburg, and those of Sherman’s march to the sea. Glen McIlroy was selected as “Master Farmer” by Ohio Farmer magazine, and founded Farm Management, Inc., the first professional farm management company in the state, along with later state agriculture director John T. Brown and Charles S. Neer. For all of his agricultural achievements, he was elected posthumously to the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1969. 

“Quotable quote.” “What is best for agriculture is best for the nation’s economy.” Glen Greely McIlroy, ancestor of Elmwood Place bicentennial farm owners Susan McIlroy Pierce and Hentry Pierce, Jr.