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Museum

1900 West 15th Street, Plano, Texas 75075 / Office: 972-881-0140 Fax: 972-422-6481

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The Heritage Farmstead Museum's History

Built in 1891 in a region of rich blackland soil by Hunter Farrell for his wife Mary Alice and daughter Ammie, what is now known as the Heritage Farmstead was a pretentious, yet practical, farmhouse. Its elaborate jigsaw trim was characteristic of the time; wrap-around porches and north-south orientation with opposing doorways satisfied the need for shade and cross-ventilation in a period before air conditioning. Together with three barns and several outbuildings on a 365 acre spread, this homestead was definitely a showplace.

Hunter Farrell was a successful businessman in Collin County whose expanding business often took him away from home. Over time, Mary Alice Farrell took on full management of the sizable wheat farm operation. After the Farrell’s' divorce in 1928, Mary Alice and daughter Ammie retained ownership of the homeplace, which one or both of them ran as a farm until 1972.

At age twenty, "Miss Ammie" married Dr. Woods Lynch and had a son George, her only child, before divorcing a few years later. Her subsequent marriage to Dudley Wilson lasted 53 years. Miss Ammie is best known as a champion sheep breeder. Up until her death in 1972, she consistently won prizes for her animals at major stock shows. Ammie Wilson was a successful woman in a male-dominated business - a true pioneer.

Soon after Miss Ammie's passing, the Plano Heritage Museum was formed to preserve the home and grounds. After a seven-year, 1.2 million dollar restoration, the Heritage Farmstead Museum opened its gates to the public. The Heritage Farmstead Association works to preserve, teach, and demonstrate the past to more than 30,000 visitors annually. Transformed into a living museum of agricultural history, this historic farm complex has been awarded designation by the Plano Landmark Association, a State of Texas Historical marker, and a listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The Association has received accreditation from the prestigious American Association of Museums.

Vision Statement

To be the premier historic house and Blackland prairie farm museum in North Texas

Implies: We strive to achieve:

A superior historic house museum and Blackland Prairie farm museum with knowledge based exhibits on our locale, our house and farm;

Highest quality research and interpretation on Blackland Prairie farming practices including livestock, crops, and machinery,

Appropriate related, educational materials and supplements; and

Excellent programs, lectures and events related to our exhibits and collection.

Values Statement

Enthusiastic dedication to the integrity of quality, authentic preservation.

The HFM affirms that museums offer unique encounters with objects and ideas for people of many ages, interests and backgrounds and that the museum is an institution of public service and is accountable to the public through government, self and peer imposed regulations.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Heritage Farmstead Museum is to collect, preserve and interpret late 19th and early 20th century Blackland Prairie history while making excellent use of the authentically restored Farrell-Wilson Farmstead, a designated historic site.

Mission Statement Tag Line

Our major objective is to expand visitors’ understanding through tours and scheduled programs and events of Blackland prairie life at the turn of the century while offering them an inviting, fun atmosphere in which to learn.

2008 Board Members

Officers:

Dean Wallace – President

Roxanne Burleson – Vice President

Jill Oxley – Secretary

Brad Frink – Treasurer

Hal Simon – Executive Director

Members

Thomas Franklin, Jr. PhD - Past President

Shelia Huckaby

Chalres Laenger

Penny Hale

Lyn Chambers

Brad LaRock

Irma Landis

Polly Schlosser

Kyle Wilkison, PhD

Advisory Board Members:

Eddie “Sarge” Stimpson

Phyllis Stoup

2008 Scheduled Board Meetings

January 28
February 25
March 17
April 21
May 19
June 16

July 21
August 18
September 22
October 20
November 17
December 15 (if necessary)

Meetings start at 6:30pm

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