About the Heritage Farmstead Museum
Living History on the Blackland Prairie
The Heritage Farmstead Museum, also known as the Ammie Wilson House, is a historic farm museum at 1900 West 15th Street in Plano featuring a late-Victorian farmhouse built in 1891 on what was once a 365-acre farm. The property belonged to Mary Alice Farrell and her husband Hunter Farrell, whose family had moved to Texas from Virginia. The farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and opened as a living museum in 1986, utilizing the remaining 4.5 acres surrounding the beautifully preserved home. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
The museum houses over 10,000 objects and archival materials related to Blackland Prairie life in North Texas, including Victorian-era home furnishings, domestic accessories, tools, textiles, and vehicles. Notable items include a William Morris chair from the leader of the Arts and Crafts Movement, a Sanger Bros. Victrola, various irons from the 1800s through early 1900s, and an early telephone from The American Bell Telephone Company. All furnishings either belonged to the Farrell-Wilson families or to other prominent Plano families from the period, or are carefully selected Victorian Era replicas.
Visitors can experience life from 1891-1939 through interactive exhibits and hands-on activities including butter churning and blacksmithing demonstrations. The Kitchen Garden and Curing Shed show how food was grown and preserved, while the Potting Shed displays gardening tools. The Blacksmith Shed demonstrates how rural farmers handled their own metalwork, and the Carriage Garage houses a vintage Ford Model T. The museum also features a one-room schoolhouse and rotating special exhibitions that highlight aspects of life in Plano and North Texas, including past exhibits on the Plano Fire Department, Ladies Aid Society, and Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America.
Plan Your Visit
The Heritage Farmstead Museum is located at 1900 West 15th Street in Plano. The museum grounds feature farm animals including chickens, ducks, pigs, sheep, goats, and a donkey representing the agrarian history. Interactive programs include butter churning and blacksmithing demonstrations. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, Heritage Farmstead offers a unique window into North Texas farm life. For current hours, admission prices, tour schedules, and special events, visit heritagefarmstead.org.
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