Matthew T. Scott made his fortune on the Grand Prairie in the 19th century by developing thousands of acres of farmland. He founded the town of Chenoa in 1855 as a center for his business activities. Although Scott bought and sold over 45,000 acres of Illinois farm land, the development of his personal holdings of 5,000 acres in Livingston and McLean counties was his main interest. To produce maximum yields, Scott had his land drained with pipe tile and 250 miles of ditching. The productivity of this land was a tribute to Scott's planning and ingenuity. Scott's home, constructed in 1855 and enlarged in 1863, was restored in 1983 by his great niece, Elizabeth Stevenson Ives.