The Farm at Prophetstown

Rooster and I had a day to play on the motorcycle. The Bossy Posse went to spend time with their dad. We discovered a unique event at the Farm at Prophetstown, so we decided to go check out this replica of a 1920’s farmstead in Battle Ground, Indiana. Our granddaughters want to spend time on a farm. Baby Chick loves horses. We have looked for a farmstead to take them to where they could have a farm life experience that didn’t center around the tourist trade and getting in didn’t cost an arm and a leg. We decided to pull the motorcycle out and ride to Prophetstown State Park.

It’s a good idea to start a motorcycle adventure with a good breakfast. Cracker Barrel always has a good meal waiting for the traveler.

What’s the deal with the farm at Prophetstown?

The state park in Central, Indiana is the site where Tenskwatawa and the Shawnee camped. The Battle Ground where the battle between the Shawnee and William Henry Harrison lies a little way down the road from the state park. Tecumseh went south to persuade other native people to join the pan-Indiana confederation to stop European movement into the territories. Tenskwatawa provided the religious fervor needed to inspire the people. He became known as The Prophet. The brothers agreed not to provoke Harrison while Tecumseh was away, but Tenskwatawa went against the agreement. The resulting battle put an end to Native American union and the removal of the remaining native people to beyond the Mississippi.

Dark clouds hovered overhead on our ride to the farm at Prophetstown. We had a great ride. The GPS took us on a strange course through the city of Lafayette, which seemed to be miles out of our way. The device must have been attempting to avoid road construction. Pretty pink cone flowers greated us at the state parks front gate. We noticed the big red barn and farm house off in the distance.

We had to travel on a gravel road to get to the farmstead. Bikers and gravel roads don’t mix well.

Sensory overload at the farm at Prophetstown

There is a lot to experience on a visit to the working farm at Prophetstown State Park. The city smells of engine exhaust are replace with horse and cow manure. The smell isn’t heavy, but it is there. The sounds are different on the farm. Roosters crow and horses have their own language. The music playing in the front yard of the Gibson House drew our attention assoon as we dismounted from the bike.

One persistent hen wanted to join in the music making.

All of the chickens ran around the farm free range. They seemed to enjoy being around the people.

The farm had a mature rooster who enjoyed his flock of hens..

A little rooster that didn’t know his way around the ladies yet but could make a lot of noise.

We saw horses in the field.

The seemed to be enjoying the day going about their horse business in the field.

Horse and buggy ride at the farm at Prophetstown

People could pay a little extra money and take a horse and buggy ride and tour the state park.

These beautiful working horses became an invitiation to fun.

We saw cows

and pigs.

The Gibson house at the Farm at Prophetstown

You could see the difference in the class structure in farm life in Indiana in the 1920’s. The farmhouse appeared much larger than the tenants house next door. The furnishings more lavish and comfortable. Rooster and i noticed the Batwing typewriter sitting on a small table.

The Tenants house appeared to be the place where a lot of the work got done around the farm. It was smallerand there was evidence children lived under this roof.

We took the long way home from the Farm at Prophetstown

We decided to take the back roads home and rode through a forest and crossed Adam’s mill covered Bridge before gliding past the Mill. Dark clouds gathered in the sky above us., making the worry about a storm made us consider cutting the ride short.

In conclusion, Rooster and I had a great day at the Farm at Prophetstown. It was an inexpensive way to spend the afternoon exploring farm life. The cost was eight dollars, which is the standard admission into an Indiana State Park for residents. We plan to take the Bossy Posse to this location the next time they spend the day with us. This farmstead is a great way to learn about sustainable agriculture and homesteading.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

Be sure to follow Molly on Twitter!