Michael Huffaker, one of Morgan County's first settlers, established the farm in the 1824 after purchasing a 160-acre plot to the south of Jacksonville, Illinois.

Due to the many agricultural innovations of the 1830s, Huffaker earned a significant amount of money from his farm and became one of the county's wealthiest residents.

Huffaker mainly raised livestock, particularly cattle and pigs, on his farm; while he also grew crops, the grain mainly served as feed.

According to local tradition, the house was a stop on the Underground Railroad; as Huffaker employed many free black farmhands, he could conceal escaped slaves among his workers.

The UGRR Committee serves as a not-for-profit agency to provide education to individuals interested in learning about the underground railroad movement in Morgan County.