The Farm at Prophetstown: Visitors on a Prairie Porch

On an unusually warm February afternoon as I sat on the front porch of the Gibson Farmhouse at Prophetstown State Park in West Lafayette, I could see a rusty winter-like field with evergreens in the distance. I remembered my first visit to the park a few summers ago; the field looked different then. That day my family and I walked through the brush sprinkled with wildflowers for an authentic Indiana prairie experience. Since then every visit has been different, depending on the season and company.

During my recent visit I sat on wicker chair and spoke with Executive Director Leslie Martin Conwell. As we talked a group of ducks noisily waddled by, a beekeeper quietly tended to his hives in the distance and two horses looked out of the barn, apparently watching for approaching visitors. Even though the park was officially closed that day, there was a steady flow of groups of people biking and hiking, as well as families with children eager to see the farm animals. Leslie paused our conversation about the farm to welcome each group, to offer directions and answer questions. As we greeted passersby, our conversation about the weather, the farm, the animals and the house didn’t feel like a typical state park experience; it felt like a passage from an imagined early-20^th-century story about Indiana agrarian life titled “Visitor on a Prairie Porch.”

The brochure for the Farmhouse promises “A 1920s farmstead highlighting sustainable agriculture, homesteading, heirloom gardening and farm-to-table cooking.” But the formal description does not capture the welcoming informality of a park director guiding visitors to the hidden second-floor office because they asked for a restroom on a day when the park was closed. In fact, the experience didn’t follow an official museum script of Indiana identity. The Gibson Farmhouse at Prophetstown is an everyday community front porch, kitchen, garden, barn, farm, museum and dinner table all rolled into one.

The Farmhouse represents self-sufficient family life reminiscent of a Sears, Roebuck & Company catalog of days past. It’s as if the Farmhouse is a time capsule full of everyday objects like a sewing machine, canning equipment, stove, washtub, egg beaters, lace, china and farm equipment, that combine to make a visitor feel invited into the home of an imagined distant relative. Despite the openness and casual setting, Leslie ascribes the fact that nothing has ever been stolen during her time as director to visitors’ respect for the house. There is a palpable sense of shared trust and stewardship that make the farm feel authentic. It not only demonstrates Indiana’s homesteading history, but also boasts a community supportive of an evolving local agrarian story.

The Farmhouse community grows through the participation of volunteers who help maintain the barn and care for the animals, conscientious consumers of non-GMO farm products, life-long learners taking homesteading classes, as well as curious global and local followers on social media.

At the Farmhouse you can find a list of beef and pork items available for purchase. The meat, now sealed in clear plastic, is processed by This Old Farm nearby in Colfax, highly respected for their humane processing methods. Leslie personally cares for, and admits to being partial to, the locally bred Hereford cattle. As we walk through the farm, she talks about the trusting and gentle character of each cow. In addition to the cows, many of the other animals—including a rescued miniature pony named Mr. Bojangles—have a social media following. While Leslie was introducing me to the cows, a mom with two kids stopped to ask where to find Bojangles. That moment perfectly showcased Leslie and her staff’s great pride in their dual mission to offer humane animal care and welcoming customer service.