Of all of the sights, sounds, and smells around Conner Prairie, there are a few that always stand out to me, in no particular order.
- The impressive sight of oxen pulling a cart through
Prairietown.
- The sight and sound of our blacksmiths forging and shaping hot metal.
- The obvious smells of farm life around the Golden Eagle.
- The smell of a cooking fire, with its smells of food, and wood smoke.
- The sight of our interpreters engaging our guests.
I always come back though to the view of the Prairie from the front of the Conner House as my favorite spot. As we wind down summer, and head in to fall with the turning of leaves, coupled with the late day sun, these two elements will morph this vista into something unheralded and rare.
When
William Conner built his brick home, he positioned it very purposefully at the crest of a hill with a commanding view of the prairie, and river below. This was not lost on those who visited Conner in those early days.
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In fact, the view of the prairie has always been commented on by early travelers and visitors to Conner’s Home. Nathan Bolton, an Indiana newspaper man, and contemporary of William Conner, stated in 1823:
“I looked down from the second story window of Mr. Conner’s dwelling, on a field of 300 acres of waving corn, some two feet high, with 15 or 20 merry plowmen scattered over it at work.”
Almost 200 years later, you can look out to see the land being restored to a prairie, along with crops being planted that continue on a 200 year old tradition. One thing however remains the same, the power of the view.
Posted:
8/31/2010 2:20:20 PM by
Dan Schoeneberg | with
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In
Lenape Camp buildings and Prairietown homes, there’s no insulation in the attics and walls like we have in our modern homes, and all the heat is provided by burning wood, either in fireplaces or cast iron stoves. The further you get from the fire, the colder you are. While we know that people in the past had to accept being cold in winter and hot in summer, there are some differences between their lives and Conner Prairie. We have a lot more people moving in and out of our buildings than would be normal then; their fireplaces didn’t have to heat nearly as much cold air as ours do.
In the past, people wore more wool during cold weather. Because the grounds are closed from November through March, most of our staff don’t have wool dresses, trousers and waistcoats. How do they stay warm? They use a combination of thermal underwear and historic outer garments to be able to share the 19th-century life with our guests.
Historic Clothing provides garments to keep staff and youth volunteers as warm as possible. For men and boys, we have knit hats, scarves, overshirts, waistcoats and coats, all in nice, warm wool. Many men wore two waistcoats for warmth in the 19th-century. For women and girls, there are shoulder capes called tippets, knitted zephyrines to tie over the ears, and a few stuffed bonnets that look like the hood of a down parka, as well as shawls and cloaks, all made of wool. Women often added wool petticoats under their dresses. All our costumed staff can borrow muffatees, fingerless gloves like cuffs with holes for the thumbs, which keep their fingers free for work. Adding wool stockings helps keep the feet warm, but don’t ruin your shoes by holding your feet up to the fire.
Doesn’t a visit to Conner Prairie make you thankful for modern heating systems?
Posted:
8/26/2010 3:26:48 PM by
Paula Guernsey | with
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“Conner Prairie? I haven’t been there since 4th grade!”
I get that line a lot when I tell people I work for Conner Prairie. And honestly, I said the same thing when I started working here in 2008.
As the Manager of School Services, I am more than ecstatic that we have thousands of school-aged children visit us every fall and spring semesters with their schools. Last year, we had over 40,000 students, parents and teachers visit us on field trips! But, as the buses pull away for the day, I think to myself, “Will any of these students be back? Will they bring their family and friends to share what they experienced?” Or will they too, 20 years from now, repeat the aforementioned phrase that I hear from so many adults when I mention Conner Prairie?
My job is to make sure that your child’s teacher is armed with all he or she needs to make their time spent at Conner Prairie the best learning experience possible. I create and find resources that will enable the teacher to use Conner Prairie to teach history, language arts, mathematics and science all at the same time.
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But again, I wonder when that student will return here. Conner Prairie is a dynamic place- every day is different, depending on the weather, time of year and even what interpreters we have working in the historic areas. Even for me, there is something new to see each time I walk out onto the grounds.
My advice to parents- if you have a child coming to Conner Prairie on a field trip- sign up to be a chaperone, especially if the last time you were here was when you were your kid’s age. If you cannot do that, come and visit us after the field trip. Have your child show you what they liked the best about their field trip- even if it was the playground! Not only will your family have a great day out, your visit and interest in what your child experienced on their visit will help reinforce what they learned here and in their classroom.
Posted:
8/25/2010 10:01:47 AM by
Melissa Raveed | with
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Sarah Morin - Guest blogger: Youth Experience Manager
How do you fit four looms, 20 spinning wheels and 24 kids into cars and get them all down to the state fairgrounds? As youth experience manager, this is the puzzle I face every August as our Conner Prairie youth volunteers represent us at the Sheep to Shawl Contest. Under a heart-pounding four hour time limit, teams of five to six people must card, spin, ply and weave wool into a finished scarf. At the end of the contest, the scarves are auctioned off to buy more supplies for next year. This year’s Sheep to Shawl Contest was held on August 15, and featured four youth teams (ages 10-19) from
Conner Prairie’s Youth Volunteer Program.
At Conner Prairie we take pride in researching and recreating our period arts. But in passing down this heirloom art to a younger generation, we add new flavor. While the material (wool) and basic process are the same, the attire is not what you might expect – no pioneer outfits here today. The Ewe Crew wears aprons with a stunning sheep design. The Princesses of the Treadle (a treadle is a foot pedal on a spinning wheel) compare their own tiaras with Miss Indiana State Fair’s as she drops by.
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The Traveling Gypsies don colorful skirts and scarves and hoop earrings. The Pirates of the Treadle, our all boys team, are decked out in skulls, eye patches and plastic swords. Yes, you heard right, in an era where girls play sports, boys can now spin wool.
What’s also changed since the early 1800s is that what was once a necessary chore is now a fun hobby, and at the fair, an adrenaline-pumping sport. What I love most about the contest is it brings people together. Experienced spinners mentor novices. After months of preparation and a stressful final week, each team pulls together to accomplish a common goal. What is passed along is not only the survival – no, the joyful rediscovery and at times reinvention – of a historic art form, but the intangible of community, confidence, and leadership. I’m proud of our Conner Prairie youth spinners, and invite you to learn from them and our many fine adult spinners and weavers in the loom house. Interested in learning some period arts and trades for yourself? Check out our
21st Annual Arts & Arms Making Workshop, October 9-15. You can also try your hand at make-and-take baskets every day at 2 p.m.
Posted:
8/17/2010 4:17:54 PM by
Sarah Morin | with
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Yvonne Todd - Catering and Banquet Sales Manager
Do you know about the
Café on the Common? Or have you experienced the wafting aromas from the Prairie Grill?
As the Catering & Banquet Sales manager here at Conner Prairie, I am a person that can tell you all about our wonderful food options. My department colleagues and I are ready and willing to service almost any food and beverage need that you may have as you plan a day at Conner Prairie – enjoying your membership or coming to gaze at the night sky as you listen to an Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performance on the prairie, or
prepare for a special day in your families’ lives such as a wedding, memorial or just for fun.
Café on the Common is a casual dining experience open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. during park hours. From salads and sandwiches to cool beverages and sweet tooth satisfiers, you’ll walk away fulfilled and ready to take on the rest of your experience, be it a
balloon voyage or a stroll through
Prairietown.
The Overlook is what used to be commonly known as Persimmons and/or the Eatery. As the outward growth of the community continues, there are now many more options from which the casual diner has to choose; alas the Persimmons and the Eatery are no more. However, that is good news for me! I now have an additional great venue in which I can assist a bride and groom in dreaming up their Conner Prairie wedding. We can also incorporate the use of the Featherston Barn, the Hilltop overlooking the prairie in full bloom or even the unique Chinese House for a very intimate event. Our rentable venues accommodate groups from as few as 10 to as many as 250.
On a summer night, if you haven’t yet experienced a
Symphony on the Prairie (SOP), you do not know what you are missing! If you have, but not yet this year, you’ll want to note our newest improvements to the SOP experience. Guests have always enjoyed the casualness of being able to cart their own “imbibement” and food into SOP events. We now can make that experience a little more enjoyable as we offer beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages and light snacks throughout all of the SOP events via the Prairie Grill and/our independent service tents around the Symphony grounds. Also, we have an alliance with a private caterer that has a tasty menu for box lunches to a family-style served meal.
If you haven’t thought about dining at Conner Prairie in a while, you might want to add this to your weekly bucket list. Hope to see you soon!
Posted:
8/12/2010 1:09:35 PM by
Yvonne Todd | with
0 commentsRecent Posts
My Favorite View at Conner Prairie
Winterizing Conner Prairie Staff
Always Something New at Conner Prairie!
Sheep to Shawl
Dining at Conner Prairie