Farmstead History

Animals at the FarmsteadWhen the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead opened more than 30 years ago, it had two miniature horses, two Shetland ponies, nine goats, six sheep, three calves, a dozen chickens, a vegetable garden, child-size replicas of a barn with a loft, a silo with a slide and a shaded seating area.

Today, the Farmstead has almost 200 farm animals and birds of prey, vegetable and flower gardens, a one-room country schoolhouse, a dairy barn, an old-time fishing pond, horse drawn wagon rides, pony rides and more. Other interesting tidbits:

  • It was renamed in 1985 to honor the first Overland Park Police Officer killed in the line of duty.
  • The upstairs of the main office building originally was designed as a one bedroom apartment, and there was an on-site supervisor for the first seven years.
  • During its opening season, there was one supervisor and four seasonal employees. Today, there are seven supervisors, 46 seasonal staff members and 25 regular weekly volunteers.
  • 11,000 visitors came to the Farmstead its first year; that's now the attendance of a typical weekend. About 500,000 visitors are expected per year by 2010.

The Farmstead is thriving and continually growing, adding new features every year.