It can be hard to find historical topics that capture the interest of audiences today.

Our goal this year in introducing a series of talks followed by facilitated conversations, was to provide adults the chance to interact with history by sharing their own perspectives on how the topic relates to life today. It was an experiment. We weren’t sure if enough people in the community were interested.

From the perspective of engagement with the topic, the most successful talk by far was our fourth lecture. Michael Zimmerman, Ph.D., professor of biology at Butler University, spoke on the historical context for Darwin’s theories on American society. Even before the lecture, I received emails and letters of protest.

Writers argued that Conner Prairie should not sponsor such a presentation because the inhabitants of 1836 Prairietown would not have accepted Darwin’s theories. Others felt that it was inappropriate for Conner Prairie to touch on a subject as controversial as Darwin. At the lecture, a heated debate followed. Bloggers commented afterward on the ideas expressed and points rebutted.

In the end, each side vented their views with passion but without ill effect. A terrific result!

Of course, I don’t relish causing Conner Prairie supporters anguish. But I do enjoy opening a historical topic that still touches people today.

For our next lecture Marcus Rediker, author of the award winning book, “The Slave Ship,” will explore the lives and roles of everyone connected to the African slave trade. His research makes clear how easily people objectified and lost compassion for others when money was involved. The topic unfortunately remains very relevant today. I invite all to hear Marcus on Sunday, November 8 at 4pm at Conner Prairie and join in what I hope will be a lively discussion.

Why is an advertisement for Eurostar, the train that runs between London and Paris, posted with a blog for Conner Prairie? Because it includes a picture of my 16-year old son Paul. A photographer for Eurostar’s advertising company snapped the picture last summer in Paris when Paul was traveling with his friend Eli Ramthun and his parents. He’s in the green shirt, by the way --- on the left. His picture is on Eurostar’s website (shown here) and plastered on buses and subways (or tubes as they call them) throughout London.

For my husband and me, the picture seems yet another harbinger of Paul’s growing independence. As his picture trundles through foreign territory, so will he soon move on to college and his own life.

We have less than two years before Paul graduates and like his two brothers before him, leaves home. My husband and I will be rattling around in a quiet, empty house. No longer will rock music blare from Paul’s end of the hall; no longer will groceries mysteriously disappear when his friends are around.

Although I will miss him, I take satisfaction in knowing that he will follow a path of inquiry and lifelong learning that we set him on when he was little. We nurtured his curiosity about the world and his passion for knowledge by introducing him to new experiences and encouraging his own interests. In Pittsburgh, where we lived until Paul was six, we often visited the natural history museum, the science center, the art museum and the zoo. Those were places, like Conner Prairie, where a child could make his or her own discoveries, learn about the world and begin the important work of becoming an inquisitive adult.

Paul is ready to find his own way. Soon he will catch up with his picture, which has already taken on a life of its own.

A central part of our mission at Conner Prairie is to be a place of discovery where children can follow their own interests as part of the important work of growing up.

What have your children discovered here?

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to honor some extraordinary American trailblazers at this year’s Spirit of the Prairie awards dinner, September 12. The annual Spirit of the Prairie dinner is Conner Prairie’s opportunity to recognize those who have created a distinctly American story with their vision, passion, dedication and courage. The honorees exemplify the spirit of endeavor that created the rich and ever changing tapestry of the United States.

This year’s Hoosier Heritage honorees include international opera soprano and Indianapolis native Angela Brown; Emmy-nominated journalist Janet Langhart Cohen; preservationist, philanthropist and Indiana native Richard E. Ford; and U.S. Senator Richard G. Lugar.

Through the years Conner Prairie has given the Spirit of the Prairie Award to remarkable, talented, accomplished people with foresight, brilliance and perseverance. I’ve always loved the awards dinner and this year adds yet another illustrious roster of honorees to the Conner Prairie family including a personal connection from my past.

In 1985 when I was invisibly pregnant with my oldest son and working as a curator at the Frick house museum, Pittsburgh, I was hired as a consultant to give advice to a young entrepreneur, Pleasant Rowland. She wanted to create a series of books about girls in America’s past with dolls of each of the girls featured.

A group of historians assembled with Pleasant and her writers. We talked about the characters they had invented: Felicity, a Colonial girl, Samantha, a wealthy orphan in the late 1800s, and Kirsten, a Norwegian child in Wisconsin. I shared what I knew about Helen Clay Frick’s life in Victorian Pittsburgh.

I hoped the venture would succeed because I shared her conviction that girls needed more active role models. But having never been interested in dolls myself, I doubted the project would go anywhere. You all know how wrong I was. Pleasant sold the flourishing company to Mattel, Inc. in 1998.

This year Conner Prairie has created a new award to honor someone who has stimulated American’s interest in history. Our first awardee is Pleasant Rowland. I’ve waited nearly a quarter of a century to thank her for pursuing a dream that has had positive impact on our country – and on my life. Because of Pleasant, I learned that it’s the story that matters in inspiring an interest in history. The details, the facts are essential – but only as background.

Please join me this year on September 12 at Conner Prairie to honor all of these amazing honorees.

See you there.

In this time of financial stringency we hear that people are returning to basics and core values. They eat at home; they eschew luxury goods. It’s also said that people are increasingly seeking what is real and authentic.

Because of the renewed interest in authenticity, Conner Prairie recently worked with PGAV Destination Planners, the St. Louis consulting firm that helped develop our master plan, to commission a research study to determine its impact upon the sites and attractions industry in the United States.

The soon-to-be released results are fascinating. Indeed, authenticity is a genuine trend these days – at least people are giving it more lip service. 80% of attraction visitors say they prefer “real experiences” over “fantasy/entertainment.”

The study also notes two significant caveats – gaps closer in size to the Grand Canyon than to potholes. First, only time will tell whether action will follow words. Will Mom and Dad really choose a trip to Colonial Williamsburg when the kids are clamoring for Universal Studios? Second, people’s interpretation of authenticity varies enormously. People applied the word to historic sites and parks, but even casino and theme park patrons called for greater authenticity in these venues. To many, the word authenticity simply means the opposite of commercialism.

As an attraction considered very authentic, we’re pondering what this new interest in back to basic values might mean for Conner Prairie.

What does authenticity mean to you and how important is it when you think about ways to spend your leisure time?

“Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”
Marcus Aurelius (Roman emperor, best known for his meditations on Stoic philosophy, AD 121-180)

I’m not sure why it continues to amaze me that every guest who visits Conner Prairie sees it through the lens of his or her own perspective.

Sometimes differences in understanding reflect prior experiences. People who grew up on farms immediately grasp the difficulty of working the land, tending to animals and making food from scratch. These visitors usually exclaim, “I’m happy I don’t live in the 19th century,” as they switch on the car air conditioning and head for the super market.

In contrast, many visitors say, “I just love Conner Prairie. I wish I could live here,” undoubtedly glad they are away from traffic, malls and cell phones and entranced by the apparent simplicity of life, beauty of the setting and delicious smell of wood smoke.

Other differences in perspective arise from what visitors want others, particularly children, to get out of Conner Prairie. “Conner Prairie demonstrates how hard our ancestors worked. How self-sacrificing and determined they were no matter the obstacles. It’s important for kids to have these models of behavior,” say some who see present day values as lacking.

In contrast, just the other day, a college student told me, “History at Conner Prairie is like a lion in a cage. You can see it and get a sense of the texture of its fur. But it seems tame and gentle. It takes imagination to realize just how uncontrollable, stinky and brutal it really is.”

Although some might find these differences in perception frustrating, I’m fascinated because how each person understands Conner Prairie reveals so much about who they are and what they believe.

What do you see when you visit Conner Prairie?