The Marbold Farmstead Association hosts a yearly fall event and other activities throughout the year at the Marbold Home near Greenview. From 1-4 p.m. on July 12, a special celebration will take place with music, house tours, children’s activities and storytelling. A program, “175 Year Journey: Our Story” will begin at 2 p.m. and include highlights of the Marbold story set against the backdrop of U.S. history. Similar to the 19th century Sunday social gatherings in the former Marbold Grove, readings and recitations with a sprinkling of musical numbers will weave together the telling.
Barbara Van Dyke-Brown serves as current president of the Marbold Association. She said,“It is inspiring to think about all that has occurred since the house was built. The Association has been instrumental in saving this piece of history.”
John Marbold, a widower at the age of 47, came here with his three children from Germany in the fall of 1847. He arrived in New Orleans, traveled up the Mississippi by steamboat to St. Louis, and then by stagecoach to Elkhart, finally making the remainder of the journey to Petersburg by oxcart where previously settled family members lived.
In 1850-1851 he bought 200 acres of land and built his brick home. He helped other German immigrants gain a stronghold in the area, hiring men to help make bricks on site or work the farm.
The farm was later passed down to his son, Henry, who called the farmstead Elmwood and who started the Greenview Marbold Bank. Later in 1915, the farm passed to John’s grandson, Benjamin. Benjamin had become the president of the Marbold Bank but lost his wealth – and his home – after the bank failed in 1927.
For years the house and land sat empty and fell into disrepair – the roofline sagged, windows had been broken out and brush covered the foundation. The interior had been damaged by rodents and termites as well as looters who had ripped out fireplace mantels. Robert Hanson acquired the property in 1990 and began some restoration: adding windows, shoring up the floors and more. His work was key for any future restoration, although an overwhelming amount of work was still needed.
Even though the former mansion was now a run-down, rat and termite-infested, sagging old house that the Greenview residents had been told could never be restored, many refused to be daunted. Fifty members formed the nonprofit Association in 2011; each gave $1,000 and sought donations to buy the house and 10 acres for $78,500 in 2012. Today, through years of hard work and a labor of love, that run-down house looks amazing.
The Association has created a living history farm and hosts school groups to learn about life in past centuries. The work required clearing out old farm equipment; cleaning up dilapidated buildings; adding gutters, downspouts and windows; fencing the property to keep out trespassers; and repairing the kitchen floor that had been eaten by termites. The washhouse, dairy room, carriage house and smokehouse have been rebuilt. The summer kitchen, complete with stove, tables and working kitchen items from the era, has been recreated. The Conservatory, with glorious stained-glass windows, has been added back to the house. Furniture, some original to the home, now fills the parlor and other rooms.
Each time the Association hosts an event there are new things to see as the work to fully complete the restoration of the house continues.
On July 12, guests are encouraged to bring their own lunch for a picnic on the lawn. The event is free. Donations are welcome.
This article appears in July 2, 2026.
