Conner Prairie (Summer, 1998)

In an effort to employ what I learned as an intern at Historic Charlton Park, I moved to Fishers, Indiana in the summer of 1998 and served as an intern and historical interpreter at Conner Prairie. Conner Prairie is an award-winning living history museum specializing in 19th-century United States history. Interpreters, historians, and artisans combine their efforts to simulate the experience of living in Indiana in 1836. Visitors from all over the world make their way through Prairietown, Conner Prairie’s historic village, and marvel at the sights and sounds of 19th-century life. Serving as a first-person historical interpreter, I portrayed the character of Suzannah Zimmerman, a German Lutheran woman from Pennsylvania. This experience was nothing less than incredible! Please read my journal entries for some interesting stories about my life as Suzannah Zimmerman.
As an intern at Conner Prairie, I planned and designed exhibits and assisted the collections department with the preservation, researching, and cataloging of artifacts. Additionally, I transcribed archival documents and conducted extensive research on abolition, the Underground Railroad, and slave conditions.

Journal entries from my experience:
~Cooking 101
~Allow me to introduce you . . . this is Suzannah Zimmerman
~An Interpreter in Training
~My Underground Railroad Exhibit

The picture at the top of this page shows the exterior of the Conner Prairie Museum Center.
The Historic Village is to the left, but not visible here.