Indiana: Indianapolis, Conner Prairie – Coming Soon, a Living History 1859 Balloon Voyage.
Looking for a day new family adventure with a “wow” factor? To celebrate Indiana’s aviation heritage, Conner Prairie will showcase an exhibit commemorating a pioneering event in aviation history, offering visitors of all ages a hands-on learning adventure. I suspect June at Conner Prairie is a sure bet for a wow!
The staff and curators at Conner Prairie are pros at re creating moments in history. Their daily efforts set the bench mark for learning and fun. No two days will be the same but always the time will be rewarding. So I am thrilled to learn of the new living history experience, “The 1859 Balloon Voyage”, a summer adventure.
The 1859 Balloon Voyage is the first new time period-based experience Conner Prairie has proposed since the opening of 1886 Liberty Corner in 2001. It will provide guests with an interactive experience in early flight methods and scientific discovery that culminates in a voyage on a tethered 19th-century-style balloon.
This new experience places museum guests in Lafayette, Ind., in August 1859 and is based in part on the little-known attempted flight of a piloted balloon from there to New York City. The voyage involved John Wise, a scientific pioneer in the exploration of manned flight, and 123 pieces of mail. When winds blew in the wrong direction, the balloon landed in Crawfordsville, Ind. The mail was ultimately delivered to New York City by train, and the first airmail delivery was deemed a success by the U.S. Postal Service. 2009 marks the 150th anniversary of this significant historical event.
Advisor to the project, Tom Crouch, Ph.D., Senior Curator of the Division of Aeronautics at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, said of Conner Prairie’s plan, “I have been waiting for years for someone to try something like this in a solid historical setting. All in all, it seems like a wonderful way to introduce visitors to the earliest chapter in the history of flight in America.”
Conner Prairie was founded by Eli Lilly with a vision “to connect people with history in ways books cannot.” Ellen Rosenthal, Conner Prairie President and CEO, said the 1859 Balloon Voyage will carry out Lilly’s vision by allowing guests to actually experience the recreation of a notable event from the past. “People will be surprised to learn that Indiana was the site of a key event in American aviation history,” she said. “The 1859 Balloon Voyage will bring it to life in a way that is fun, exciting and educational for guests of all ages.”
Conner Prairie provides awesome experience throughout the year. I have included my favorites below.
Civil War Days (May). Honor America’s veterans with a weekend full of Civil War battle re-enactments, artillery demonstrations and infantry drills! Go back in time to the 1860s and talk with a soldier, enlist in the Army and visit an infantry camp or field hospital. Free with museum admission.
About Conner Prairie. Conner Prairie, a nationally acclaimed outdoor history museum located at 13400 Allisonville Rd. in Fishers, Ind., is in the greater Indianapolis area, six miles north of I-465. Conner Prairie is one of the most innovative and interactive outdoor history museums in the country and inspires curiosity and fosters learning about Indiana’s past by providing engaging, individualized and unique experiences. With hundreds of scenic acres, more than 35 costumed residents and guides, 40 historic buildings and more than 100 farm animals, there is plenty to explore and discover. Conner Prairie 13400 Allisonville Road Fishers, IN 46038. (317) 776-6006, toll-free 1-800-966-1836 or visit
www.connerprairie.org Content and images provided by Conner Prairie; coments by Nancy Nelson-Duac, FTF Executive Editor. Copyright 2010.
