Conner Prairie is a living history museum in unincorporated Indianapolis, Indiana, the United States, which preserves the William Conner home. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the museum recreates 19th-century life along the White River. The museum also hosts several programs and events, including outdoor performances by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and summer camps.
The property and William Conner house were purchased by pharmaceutical executive Eli Lilly in 1933 or 1934. Lilly restored the house and opened it to visitors; it was initially known as Conner Prairie Farm. Lilly appointed resident Vern H. Fisher, manager. By 1940, Lilly had added several structures to the property, including a still, a loom house, and a trading post. After Fisher died in 1942, Tillman Bubenzer was appointed farm manager until 1977. The farm was unprofitable and depended on Lilly’s support.
In 1964, Lilly transferred the house and its outbuildings to a charitable trust. Earlham College, a Quaker liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana, was named trustee. In moving the property to the college, Lilly provided an endowment for its operation. She continued to offer support with the provision that the property would be open to the public. He also transferred 1,371 acres (555 ha) of surrounding farmland to the college, suggesting that Earlham could sell the land and use its proceeds for the museum. Earlham elected to retain the farmland and expand the museum, constructing an 1836 village (Prairietown) with funds provided by Lilly for the purpose. The museum grew in scope and popularity, and attendance increased by 22 percent from 1975 to 1976.
Attractions
Create Connect
Create Connect is an indoor attraction that is open year-round and “Celebrates Hoosier Innovation.” This attraction offers activities such as building a windmill, experimenting with circuits, building a model plane, and building a chain reaction.
Makesmith Workshop
Makesmith Workshop’s theme changes through the seasons. In the winter, it focuses on textiles; in the summer, it turns to metalworking; and in the spring and fall, it changes to woodworking. Bed Bug Exterminator Indianapolis
Animal Encounters
Animal Encounters is a functioning barn on Conner Prairie grounds across from the Conner House. It houses more than eighteen chickens, goats, sheep, cows, ducks, and horses. Children and adults can learn about the different aspects of the barn and the animals it houses by using all five senses. The barn’s activities include milking goats and cows, collecting eggs from chickens, and shearing sheep.
Address: 13400 Allisonville Rd, Indianapolis, IN
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