Heritage Farmstead Museum – Plano, Texas
Heritage Farmstead Museum (also known as the Ammie Wilson House) is a historic farm museum at 1900 West 15th Street in Plano, Texas.
The late Victorian farmhouse was built in 1891 on a 365-acre farm belonging to Mary Alice Farrell and her husband Hunter Farrell, a landowner and businessman whose family had moved to Texas from Virginia. The Farrells divorced in 1929 and eventually, their daughter Ammie took over management of the farm and became an award-winning livestock breeder before her death in 1972.
The farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. In 1986 the farm opened as a living museum utilizing the remaining 4.5 acres surrounding the home. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
Premier Living History Attraction
The Heritage Farmstead Museum is a premier living history attraction in the DFW area. The 4-acre site includes 13 original historic structures that recall the early life in the Lone Star State. Its showpiece is a 19th-century mansion that dates back to 1891. It’s an ideal place to experience North Texas history first-hand or to wander into a simpler time and enjoy life on the Blackland Prairie.
Education Programs
In our continuing effort to engage young minds and challenge deep thinking, Heritage Farmstead Museum offers educational programming for all ages.
School Field Trips
The HERITAGE FARMSTEAD MUSEUM is pleased to offer education programs and guided tours for school field trips, focusing on agricultural history during the period of 1891-1936.
Tours typically start at 10 am and last approximately 90 minutes. Our tours are typically docent-led, to allow students to maximize their learning and have the opportunity to ask questions of a trained volunteer or staff member. Teachers and parent chaperones are essential to support this experience.
Outreach Program
Bring the Heritage Farmstead Museum to your classroom! Touch & Learn Curiosity Crates are filled with real historic artifacts from 1891-1936. Your students can explore items, bringing history alive in your classroom. Crates contain 31 household, cooking, school life, clothing, products, and toy artifacts. The book ...If You Lived 100 Years Ago by Ann McGovern is also included in each Curiosity Crate. A teacher’s guide with descriptions of artifacts will be included.
Homeschool Programs
Your students will experience life on the Blackland Prairie with authentic activities which could include farm chores such as planting and plowing, clothes washing, or feeding the chickens. Students connect agriculture with technology to gain a better understanding of how Texans have adapted to their environment over time.
Little Farmer Fridays
Little Farmer Fridays is an interactive program designed for preschoolers and their grown-ups. Most appropriate for children ages 2 to 5 years old, our programs offer families the opportunity to read a story, make a craft, meet our livestock, enjoy a wagon ride, and have fun on our 4.5-acre farm.
On each program date below, our gates open at 10 am for registered guests. Tickets must be purchased in advance so that we can safely manage our attendance for this program.
Stations are open during our two-hour, come-and-go style program and close at noon. After the program is over, guests are welcome to enjoy time on their own until we close at 2 pm. Bring a picnic lunch or snack if you like.
Summer Camps
Summer Camp at the Heritage Farmstead Museum is an unforgettable opportunity for children to get outside, explore nature, and connect with history. Open to students entering Kindergarten thru sixth grade, our week-long camps offer outdoor activities with a focus on history and farm life in the heart of Plano. Camp runs from 9 am to 1 pm Monday thru Friday. Campers will need to bring a sack lunch and water bottle each day.
Campers will be grouped by age (friend requests accepted), to form small groups that are led by trained camp counselors, under the supervision of our camp director and education staff.
Our Pioneer Camps and Creek & Critter Camps have been thoughtfully designed to educate and inspire children, as well as build confidence, emphasize teamwork, and maximize the fun! Campers will experience all the best as a camper at the Heritage Farmstead Museum–exploring agricultural history, and enjoying nature and creek life on our 4.5-acre historical site.
Scout Opportunities
The Heritage Farmstead Museum has partnered with Girl Scout Daisy Troop 329 to develop a free, interactive journal for the purpose of earning a Farm Fun Patch. Available for Daisy, Brownie, Juniors, and Cub Scouts. It can be completed by an individual or troop during a one-hour visit to the museum grounds.
Rent the Farm
Our 4.5-acre slice of history right here in Plano is the perfect setting for your: parties, weddings, reunions, corporate meetings, or team building. We would be happy for you to take advantage of our beautiful surroundings.
Rental of the historic Pole Barn starts at $850 for 4 hours and up to 100 guests.
For more information, contact Susan Leigh at sleigh@heritagefarmstead.org or call 972-881-0140. Guided tours of the rental spaces are given by appointment. Self-guided tours of the property can be taken when the museum grounds are open, Tuesday-Sunday from 10:00 am-4:30 pm.