By Sylvia Huss

What is Conner Prairie?

The William Conner House was built for William Conner and his wife Elizabeth Chapman in 1823. This is the origin of Conner Prairie. The house was eventually bought by Eli Lilly in 1934, who hired a crew to restore it. Conner Prairie Farm opened in 1934, Conner Prairie Museum opened in 1964, and Prairietown opened in 1974. The Conner House is the only original building on site, and the rest of the buildings were brought to Conner Prairie throughout the 1970s. All these buildings are used in Prairietown to portray life in the 1800s through stories created through research of real people, put together to make a composite character. These characters might not have been recorded in history but they can still make a historical impact.

Located in Fishers, Indiana, Conner Prairie is Indiana’s first affiliate with the Smithsonian and is changing how museums are utilized by the public. The goal of Conner Prairie is to provide people with experiences of history in ways that have never been done. Conner Prairie could be considered living history, but it is so much more. Every time guests come to the grounds, they have a different learning experience. The opportunities presented at Conner Prairie by the staff are like no other. The mission statement of Conner Prairie emphasizes they create experiences different from any other place. History is interpreted in ways like no other place. Not only do guests have opportunities to learn about history through interpreters, but there are also hands-on activities they get to participate in. Conner Prairie wants to promote learning and curiosity. All people are welcome to visit Conner Prairie and experience the history they share with the public and choose how they experience history in a new way each time they visit.

Why this Project

There has never been a lot of research done about the buildings at Conner Prairie. There has been research done on the history of the families who used to live in the buildings and what life was like in the 19th century. The information about the buildings and some of the information about the original occupants has never been presented to the public, due to the current stories of the people living in the buildings (except for the Conner House) now are not about the original occupants. This is because we do not know enough about the people who lived there originally. The characters in the Campbell House are somewhat based on the original owner, Ambrose Gore Ruddell. There is not enough information about Ruddell to piece together his entire story.

Tour Project:

There was not a lot of information known about the architecture of the buildings, either. Even through extensive research, it was discovered that not a lot of information about them existed. Because there was not enough information about the architecture of the buildings, the project evolved into creating historic building tours. These tours consist of information about what is known about the stories of the buildings, how they got to Conner Prairie, and the history of the original owners.

What the Tours will Accomplish

This project opened a new opportunity for guests to learn about the original stories of the buildings and how Conner Prairie interprets the buildings now. We can share more than just the architectural history with guests; we can show them a glimpse into how the original occupants used the buildings and how the uses have changed throughout interpretation at Conner Prairie.

Through creating these tours, opportunities have been created to tell more than the stories of the buildings, but the original occupants as well. Throughout my internship, I have acquired so many new skills in the field of Public History. Not only did I have opportunities to create historic tours and do extensive historical research, but I also got to see the ends and outs of working at Conner Prairie and what goes on behind the scenes. I was allowed to go beyond the intent of this internship to learn filming under the Emmy award winning Director of Historical and Digital Resources and was able to better understand how to make appropriate YouTube videos in a public history setting. The experience I got from this internship was better than any experience I got in the classroom. With the hands on work I got to partake in, I was able to learn about the skills needed to get a job after my internship, in the field of Public History.

This post is part of our Curation Chronicles series. Find out more about the History department.