John and Jane Fulton came to Bremen Township from New York State in 1844, and during his lifetime John Fulton assembled over 1,000 acres of farmland in the area, including land north and northeast of the present Village of Tinley Park that is now part of Oak Forest Hospital, George W. Dunne Golf Course, and his homestead on Central Avenue, now part of Yankee Woods of the Cook County Forest Preserve District. According to family legend, the Fultons provided lodging for workers constructing the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Rail Road in 1852, charging 30 cents for room and board. In 1858 and 1859, Fulton acquired approximately 146 acres at the corner of Oak Park Avenue and 167th Street, then north of the village of New Bremen, and this property became the home of John Fulton, Jr., and his family. The house originally had a small living room and dining area with two bedrooms upstairs, and it was enlarged in 1912 by an addition in front of the original structure facing Oak Park Avenue. During most of his lifetime, Bertrand ("Bert") Harrison Fulton, the son of John Jr., lived there and served for many years on the local school board, now Community Consolidated School District 146, and Fulton School on 171st Street was named in his honor. The home received the Tinley Park Historical Society's Historic Preservation Award in 1983, was used primarily for office purposes beginning in the early 1980s, and had a wrap-around front porch and a one-story rear addition added about 2004 when its owners hoped to convert it into a bed and breakfast; by 2008 it contained an office and an apartment.