Twilight at Conner Prairie

The Creation, Betrayal, and Rescue of a Museum

By (author) Berkley W. Duck III

Not available to order

Publication date:

16 June 2011

Length of book:

240 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9780759120129

Conner Prairie, among the finest outdoor history museums in the country, recreates life in 19th-century Indiana. It also was the site of one of the most significant controversies that an American museum has faced. Twilight at Conner Prairie follows the development of the museum, the conflicts of interest created by the terms of founder Eli Lilly's gifts, and the breakdown of the relationship between the museum and its trustee, Earlham College. Author Berkley Duck, who served on Conner Prairie's independent board of directors when the board and CEO were dismissed, provides an inside look at what went wrong at Conner Prairie and how it was put to right. Twilight at Conner Prairie is essential reading for anyone concerned with the survival of museums and the ethical obligations of preserving America's past.

Preface

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Development of Conner Prairie
Chapter 2. The Development of Earlham's Endowment Management Policies
Chapter 3. The Origins of the Governance Dispute
Chapter 4. The Governance Discussions Shift to Autonomy for the Museum
Chapter 5. The Governance Discussions Become Confrontational
Chapter 6. The Mediation Effort
Chapter 7. The Negotiations with Earlham's Lawyers
Chapter 8. The Sun Goes Down over Conner Prairie
Chapter 9. Retreat and Reorganization
Chapter 10. The Issues Take Shape
Chapter 11. Waiting and Thinking
Chapter 12. The Attorney General Rolls Out His Strategy
Chapter 13. The Hamilton County Lawsuit
Chapter 14. Positioning the Dispute for Resolution
Chapter 15. Sunrise
Chapter 16. The Organization of New Conner Prairie
Chapter 17. Assessments
Epilogue
Appendix A. Operative Terms of the Lilly Gifts
Appendix B. Draft of Amicus Curiae Brief Prepared by Save the Prairie, Inc.
Index

For anyone who has ever been associated with museums or not-for-profits, Twilight at Conner Prairie is a must-read case study, as well as a gripping emotional saga of the fight over Conner Prairie, an outdoor history museum and treasured community asset. Berkley Duck's book, part memoir, part legal analysis, chronicles the spellbinding tale of one of the most astounding governance showdowns in the history of museums. Having lived through this period of upheaval in person, I can attest that Berkley's account is scrupulously fair and accurate – unbelievable as it is.