Perfect weather showed up just in time for our trip to Conner Prairie in Fisher, IN. Conner Prairie is an interactive kid friendly living history village. First stop on our tour was the 1836 prairie town. The William Conner House has recently been completely refurbished. This I-House-Federalist style house has two bedrooms upstairs, two rooms downstairs split by an entry hall and a kitchen added on in back.
This was the most important structure in the village.
View of Conner Prairie. The guide explained that the prairie is really a flood plain for the river 1/2 mile in the distance (the reason that William Conner picked this location), but that Conner floodplain didn’t sound as good.
Inside people were encouraged to touch everything. Upstairs you could lie on the beds and try on the clothes. Downstairs you could pull out the drawers in the cabinets such as this one.
Something new I learned today.
In a pasture we found this newborn calf. You can see it’s umbilical cord and the remnants of the afterbirth on the cow.
We found that the potter had a sense of humor.
Blacksmith shop, of course.
Inside most of the buildings were costumed interpreters that stayed in character for 1836. They were present as the general store owner, schoolhouse teacher, doctors office (wife), carpenter shop, and private home (neighbor talking about quilting. In most of the buildings people are encouraged to ask questions or engage in conversations with the “villagers”, but to remember that the year is 1836. For instance, the woodworker explained that sandpaper was readily available, but that it was expensive and he could get a better finish from a planer.
The Golden Eagle was an Inn. I would have refused to pay the sign painter.
Other areas include a Lenape Indian camp, an 1859 balloon voyage display, and an animal encounter barn.
Next we travel to 1863.
Louise and Duane
No comments:
Post a Comment