Every October, we celebrate a birthday at Prairie Guest House.

2026 marks 14 years since John and Karen Newton became the owners of this very special property. But when you stand on the porch, walk through the historic brick farmhouse, or sit down to breakfast in the dining room, it’s hard not to think about the bigger story that began here long before we arrived.

The story begins with a man named Fabius Maximus Finch. Born in 1810, Fabius Finch was part of one of Hamilton County’s earliest pioneer families. His father, John Finch, settled at Horseshoe Prairie along the White River in 1819. Fabius followed a different path from farming alone. He became a lawyer and judge and in 1831 became the third resident attorney admitted in the county. Fabius’s sister, Elizabeth, married William Conner, the early Indiana trader and statesman whose homestead is now part of Conner Prairie, creating a family connection between two historic properties that still sit side by side today.

[Image rendered as it might have been by AI]

In 1852, a brick farmhouse was built for Fabius Finch on property he owned here. Finch lived there until 1900, dying at the age of 89. That house is the oldest part of what is now Prairie Guest House. For many years after the Finch family had gone, it remained a working farm. Eventually, it became a horse farm, a chapter of the property’s history that is still reflected in stories about the old barn.

The barn you know today was added around the turn of the 20th century. At one point, its west side even featured a painted horse mural—said to represent a horse named Vigo. It now features a robin and flower mural added in 2025 by local artist Aly Kirkham. The house we now call the Main House was originally built in 1907 as a summer cottage. It was located farther north along Allisonville Road, near the river, before being moved twice—making the house you see today its third address. The sunroom was added after the move.

By the 1990s, the historic property had entered a new chapter as a bed and breakfast. For a time, it was known as the Frederick Talbott Inn, a 10-room country inn filled with antiques and pieces of Indianapolis history. The inn even incorporated furnishings from the former L.S. Ayres tearoom. Then, in 2012, the property found its next and current caretakers.

Our first visit was in August 2012. We walked into a property with plenty of charm—and plenty of work to do. Ivy had grown through the foyer and under the doors. There was dust on the furniture. Windows rattled. Systems needed updating. There were cobwebs in corners and years of deferred maintenance waiting for someone to tackle it. But underneath all of that, we could see something special. Good bones.

And, perhaps more importantly, a story worth continuing. In October 2012, John and Karen Newton became the third owners of the property as a bed and breakfast. We changed the name from Frederick Talbott Inn to Prairie Guest House—a nod to our neighbors at Conner Prairie and, admittedly, a name that’s a little easier to spell! Since then, the property has been a labor of love.

We’ve repaired, restored and updated. We’ve refreshed rooms and furnishings, replaced and upgraded systems, and found new purposes for spaces that have existed here for generations.

Our former yoga studio became a place for events, retreats, private Pilates classes, bridal prep, and gatherings. The guest rooms have welcomed couples, families and travelers from near and far. And breakfast is still served in the historic house.

It’s easy to think of a historic property as something frozen in time. But that’s not really how history works. This place has always been changing. The people have changed. The buildings have changed. The landscape has changed. But one thing has remained remarkably consistent: People have gathered here.

More than 170 years ago, Fabius Finch lived and worked in this part of Indiana during its earliest days of settlement. Today, guests arrive here from near and far to celebrate anniversaries, get married, attend events, ride the nearby trails, visit Conner Prairie, explore Fishers—or simply spend a quiet night away. The purpose of the property has evolved, but the heart of it hasn’t changed as much as you might think.

And now, it’s your turn to be part of the story.

When we look back on our 14 years at Prairie Guest House, we’re incredibly grateful that we get to be one chapter in a story that began with Fabius Finch and stretches across more than 170 years. We’d love for you to become part of the story, too.

Come stay awhile.

And who knows? Maybe someday, many years from now, someone will look back and find your story here, too.