Ben Fuller House

The Ben Fuller House is one of, if not the oldest surviving buildings in DuPage County. The farmhouse was built sometime between 1835 and 1842 by Benjamin Fuller, one of DuPage County’s earliest settlers. Fuller reportedly arrived in the area from New York by horseback in the spring of 1834 and eventually owned much of the land in and around present Fullerburg historic gateway district, which now links the Villages of Hinsdale and Oak Brook. In the mid-1800s this area was called Brush Hill. Ben Fuller died in this house in 1868. The house was originally constructed on the east side of York Road south of this site, where a private office building now stands. A fire of suspicious origin nearly destroyed the house on July 4, 1980. Facing proposed demolition, the house was moved to its present location within Fullerburg Wood Forest Preserve in 1981 with the urging and assistance of a volunteer group of dedicated local residents known as the Ben Fuller Museum Association. Since then, the exterior of the house has been restored through reconstruction of the front porch, a new roof, metal gutters and downspouts, wooden clapboard siding, replacement windows, and operable shutters. However, the interior of the house remains gutted and requires significant work before a public occupancy permit can be obtained. Further restoration work is on hold until funding sources become available.

Oak Brook, Illinois · United States