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Conner Prairie
Conner Prairie is a living history museum in Fishers, Indiana, 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. With the aim of connecting "people with history in ways that books cannot," Lilly restored the house, and opened it to visitors. The property 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's death 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 of $150 million. Earlham College, a Quaker liberal-arts college in Richmond, Indiana, was named as trustee. In transferring the property to the college, Lilly provided an endowment for its operation and 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.
In 1999, tensions began to develop between the board of directors and the college about the museum's governance and the college's financial policies. The dispute culminated in Earlham's dismissal of the museum's president and board of directors in June 2003. The Indiana attorney general intervened and, after a lengthy and contentious dispute, a settlement was reached in which Earlham resigned as trustee of the charitable trust, the Lilly endowment was allocated between Conner Prairie and the college, and the museum became independent.[citation needed] Conner Prairie has a board of directors, and maintains its finances and endowment fund. In 2009, it joined the Smithsonian Affiliations program. After restructuring, the museum had an endowment of $91 million and an operating budget of $9 million by 2011.
On December 17, 2010, Conner Prairie received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service and a $10,000 prize in a ceremony at the White House. The museum opened another exhibit in June 2011, "The 1863 Civil War Journey: Raid on Indiana". This exhibit documents Morgan's Raid with live action, video, and interactive activities. The installation and design of the exhibit required a $4.3 million investment.
The museum grounds are divided into several sections in which different historical eras are recreated in a living timeline. Staff in historical clothing demonstrate the way early inhabitants of the area lived. They explain their lifestyles in character while performing chores such as cooking, chopping wood, making pottery, and tending to animals. Visitors are often invited to join in the activities.
The museum's main building, the Welcome Center, contains the entrance lobby, ticket-sales counter, "Create.Connect" (history and science exhibits), Discovery Station/Craft Corner indoor play area, banquet hall, and gift shop. The gift shop sells pottery made by the museum's costumed staff in addition to more conventional souvenirs.
Conner Prairie has several permanent attractions and a number of semi-regular events, including monthly programs such as "Taste the Past", a Headless Horseman ride in the autumn, candlelight tours, and a country fair. It hosts American Civil War reenactments, Hearthside Suppers, and Christmas events and dinners.
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Conner Prairie
Conner Prairie is a living history museum in Fishers, Indiana, 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. With the aim of connecting "people with history in ways that books cannot," Lilly restored the house, and opened it to visitors. The property 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's death 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 of $150 million. Earlham College, a Quaker liberal-arts college in Richmond, Indiana, was named as trustee. In transferring the property to the college, Lilly provided an endowment for its operation and 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.
In 1999, tensions began to develop between the board of directors and the college about the museum's governance and the college's financial policies. The dispute culminated in Earlham's dismissal of the museum's president and board of directors in June 2003. The Indiana attorney general intervened and, after a lengthy and contentious dispute, a settlement was reached in which Earlham resigned as trustee of the charitable trust, the Lilly endowment was allocated between Conner Prairie and the college, and the museum became independent.[citation needed] Conner Prairie has a board of directors, and maintains its finances and endowment fund. In 2009, it joined the Smithsonian Affiliations program. After restructuring, the museum had an endowment of $91 million and an operating budget of $9 million by 2011.
On December 17, 2010, Conner Prairie received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service and a $10,000 prize in a ceremony at the White House. The museum opened another exhibit in June 2011, "The 1863 Civil War Journey: Raid on Indiana". This exhibit documents Morgan's Raid with live action, video, and interactive activities. The installation and design of the exhibit required a $4.3 million investment.
The museum grounds are divided into several sections in which different historical eras are recreated in a living timeline. Staff in historical clothing demonstrate the way early inhabitants of the area lived. They explain their lifestyles in character while performing chores such as cooking, chopping wood, making pottery, and tending to animals. Visitors are often invited to join in the activities.
The museum's main building, the Welcome Center, contains the entrance lobby, ticket-sales counter, "Create.Connect" (history and science exhibits), Discovery Station/Craft Corner indoor play area, banquet hall, and gift shop. The gift shop sells pottery made by the museum's costumed staff in addition to more conventional souvenirs.
Conner Prairie has several permanent attractions and a number of semi-regular events, including monthly programs such as "Taste the Past", a Headless Horseman ride in the autumn, candlelight tours, and a country fair. It hosts American Civil War reenactments, Hearthside Suppers, and Christmas events and dinners.