Pioneer Farms

Pioneer Farms (formerly known as the Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farm or pluralized, the Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farms) is a living history museum in Austin, Texas. The site was originally granted to a settler, James O. Rice, in the fall of 1844 as part of a larger land acquisition. Frederick and Harriet Jourdan moved into what is now known as Pioneer Farms in 1852 and would later build a farm about 2,000 acres large. Pioneer Farms itself is only about 95 acres in size. In 1956, the site was donated to the Heritage Society of Austin by the grandchildren of Frederick and Harriet for the purpose of establishing a park there. It formally became a history museum in 1975. The museum is open to the public from Tuesday to Friday and hosts themed events for holidays like Halloween, Easter and Christmas. The museum hosts field trips and educational programs for schoolchildren.