The Farm at Prophetstown Offers a Peek Into Agriculture’s Past in Indiana

In partnership with: Indiana State Department of Agriculture

The Farm at Prophetstown transports visitors back to a time when small farms provided a livelihood for nearly half the population in Indiana.

Located in Tippecanoe County, the farm is a living museum with a range of unique experiences focused on 1920s farm life. From gardening, canning and sustainable agriculture to homesteading arts and raising livestock, it offers a look at agriculture before modernization.

The farm also provides visitors with advice and tips on incorporating century-old practices into their lives.

“Many people are looking to have a backyard garden, bees or maybe even some chickens,” says Lee Goudy, executive director. “Seeing the animals and gardens here and the way things were done in the 1920s gives people the knowledge and encouragement to realize they can do it, too.”

See more: Go on a Self-Guided Agricultural Driving Tour in Jackson County, Indiana

Recognizing a Revolution

The 1920s were a period of enormous change in agriculture.

“At the beginning of the decade, it was almost all hand-intensive labor,” Goudy says. “Horses plowed the fields, animals were hand-fed and chickens ranged free.”

By the end of the 1920s, many farmers were utilizing tractors. New technologies lured young people away from the farm to work in cities.

“That 10-year period in the 1920s saw a huge transition and a revolution in farming,” says Goudy, adding it resulted in the slow disappearance of a way of life.

In the mid-1990s, several area residents wanted to preserve a piece of that history, Goudy explains. The group eventually started a not-for-profit organization. In 2004, the land around the farm became part of Prophetstown State Park, northeast of Lafayette.

“It’s a great partnership because we remain a not-for-profit, leasing 100 acres within the boundaries of the state park,” he says. “When people come to visit the farm, they visit the state park, too, and vice versa.”

An Adventure for All Ages

The farm offers a wide variety of historical and educational programming. Farm-to-table dinners featuring ingredients grown at the farm or by other area producers are served on antique china in the Gibson Farmhouse. Visitors can purchase farm fresh eggs, fresh pork, beef cuts and seasonal fresh produce from the garden, including heirloom varieties. Special events include oxen farming demonstrations, heritage plant and native wildflower sales, and presentations and educational programs led by beekeepers, Master Gardeners and home economics experts. Plus, an array of seasonal activities, such as Family Day, Trick-or-Treating with the Animals and Homesteaders’ Weekend, offer fun for all ages throughout the year.

Visitors may also tour the I. Floyd Garrott Tenant House, an original Sears, Roebuck & Co. house built in 1921, and the Gibson Farmhouse, a replica of a home that could be purchased from Sears, Roebuck & Co. in the 1920s. Both homes serve as museums, outfitted with period-accurate furnishings and equipment.

In addition, the farmstead includes a barn, corncrib, blacksmith shop, milk house and a windmill.

Area farmers help with planting and harvesting grains, hay and straw on the working farm, with much of those yields feeding the standardbred horses, heritage and endangered chicken breeds, Hereford cattle, sheep, donkeys, turkeys, horses, and Berkshire hogs raised in a free-range setting.

Yesteryear’s Lessons

Goudy estimates about 25,000 guests visit annually, from locals to international visitors from Japan, Australia, Germany and other countries. The farm’s allure speaks to a human desire for simplicity and knowledge.

“People are becoming more interested in agriculture, whether it’s to offset costs at the grocery store or improve their health,” Goudy says. “It’s important not only to introduce people to agriculture but to give them a hands-on experience so they realize they can do this at home. People are looking at what was done well in the past and applying it today.”

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Plan Your Trip

The Farm at Prophetstown

Location: 3534 Prophetstown Road, Battle Ground

Website: prophetstown.org

Phone: 765-567-4700

Hours: Mondays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.