Plano Elegance, Blackland Prairie Farmstead
1890-1925

The current exhibition is our comprehensive and representative overview of Blackland Prairie farm culture and history from about 1890 to 1920. This renowned region's most colorful, nostalgic era of history literally comes to life on its best preserved, authentic, still-standing 4-acre farmstead site.

Through carefully researched and restored interiors the Farrell-Wilson house represents the daily life of a prosperous farm family on the North Texas Blackland Prairie. In the two-story Farrell-Wilson home, built in 1891, exhibitions, holidays, and seasonal focuses change, but Plano Elegance, Blackland Prarie Farmstead is our only recurring exhibit which showcases daily life between the years of 1890 and 1925 during the fall of each year between September 1 and Thanksgiving.

Tours of the historic home are available only as docent led experiences on which visitors explore, discover, and directly experience what it was like to be on a farmstead at the center of activity in the landowner’s home.

The tour is optimized by professional curators, historians, educators and trained costumed docents to meet Texas state education standards and the diverse needs of all students and visitors - public, private, college-age, adults, and seniors.

Weekdays during this exhibit are filled with school tours, and visitor programs including many characters in period dress stationed throughout the facility. The weekends are quieter and slower paced, offering reflection and appreciation for agricultural living. Visitors are free to pick up an abundance of hands-on activities and observe living farm animals.

While there are many historic houses to tour, entire preserved farmsteads including original outbuildings, gardens, barns, wells, and landscapes in their period context are extremely rare. Come experience it!

Highlights of the museum include:
4 acre original farmstead, 117 years old. The 14-room Farrell-Wilson home Heritage Livestock Program: Horses, Mules, Sheep, Goats, Chickens...	Blacksmith Shop Root Cellars Curing Shed Bois d'arc Pole Barn 1-Room School House Chicken Coops	Tractors, Carriages, Wagons, and a Model T pickup truck. Children's Games Wash Shed Plows and Agricultural Tools