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The Historic Ambassador House and Heritage Gardens are located in Town of Fishers in Indiana. The attraction is dedicated to preserving the history of the local area as well as promoting the arts and heritage gardening.

The Ambassador House is an original historic home from the area, although it has only been at the current location in Heritage Park since 1996. The house was moved to preserve it and save it from its scheduled destruction.

The Ambassador House was originally built as a two story log house over 170 years ago for the West family. Around the beginning of the 1900s the house became part of a 200 plus acre farm owned by the Harris family. It got is nickname as the Ambassador House due to Addison Harris being an American ambassador to Austria-Hungry from 1899 to 1901.

Addison Harris was an Indianapolis attorney married to Indian Harris. Indian Harris was also a key figure from the area, as she is known as the founder of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The Harris family used their farm in the Town of Fishers area as a summer home. It was while they owned the house that the house was expanded to its current design. Part of what was added during their remodel was stone columns.

In 1996 the house was cut into two pieces and transported to its current location in Heritage Park. The house had been slated for demolition, but Fishers Historic Preservation Committee and the Fishers Town Council worked together to save it as an important piece of the town’s heritage.

For over a decade the Ambassador House and Heritage Gardens were worked on until they were finally ready to open to the public in 2009. The work include refurbishing the Ambassador House and returning it to its proper historic décor. The grounds were also updated with garden design and plantings.

The Historic Ambassador House and Heritage Gardens is now only used as a venue for special events. The most common events it hosts are weddings, but they also host receptions, lectures, banquets, and tours. They usually have it open to the general public for tours on the last Sunday of the month from 1pm to 3pm.

If you are interested in other Garden tours in Indiana, learn about sod webworm treatments here.