About:

Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa is an interactive, 500-acre outdoor museum that tells the amazing 300+ year story of how Iowans transformed the fertile prairies of the Midwest into the most productive farmland in the world. Walking trails and tractor-drawn carts connect the 1875 Town of Walnut Hill to each of the historical farms. Each site is authentically farmed or worked by historic interpreters.

Mission Statement:

Living History Farms is an interactive outdoor history museum which educates, entertains and connects people of all ages to Midwestern rural life experiences.

Vision Statement:

Living History Farms will be a premier destination for people to experience rural traditions and create memories.

Objectives:

Public Understanding:

Living History Farms seeks to enrich public understanding and to engage the public in consideration of the significance of past and present issues in agriculture and rural life.

Living History Interpretation:

Living History Farms seeks to re-create the daily routines of representative historical years by means of “living history” interpretation. To accomplish this, LHF constructs authentic simulations of typical historical farm sites and a small town from time periods that illustrate major changes in agricultural technology, procedures and rural life.

Educational Enrichment:

Living History Farms seeks to promote the history of agriculture and rural life through the enrichment of the educational curricula of preschool through college and adult education in both traditional and non-traditional settings.