Indiana man planned a Hobbit house; seven years later, he built an 11-building fantasy village

Rick Sparks never intended to build a village. The Tolkien fan originally planned a single Hobbit-inspired house on a 3½-acre property outside Connersville, Indiana, as a weekend getaway.

Seven years later, that house has become his residence, and the site has grown into Rackshire, an 11-building fantasy village. Its Tolkienesque rounded doors, turf-covered roofs and stone fireplaces are built largely from recycled lumber and secondhand materials. Sparks bought the property in 2018 for about $17,000. His first festival in 2021 drew more than 3,000 people over three days, and he now envisions 15 to 20 more buildings.

How did one Hobbit house become an 11-building fantasy village

According to the Free Press Indiana News, Sparks' interest in Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" goes back to childhood, when he first learned about the fictional, peaceful creatures and the cosy, round underground homes they inhabited. He remembers watching the Rankin/Bass animated adaptations of Tolkien stories in the late 1970s and early 1980s, then reading Tolkien's books and playing Dungeons & Dragons.

His children grew up with it, too. His daughter, Kyla Robinson, recalls her father collecting "Lord of the Rings" memorabilia and making props he could not buy, adding that she has always called him a fabricator.The idea of a Hobbit-style home arose years later, when Robinson, after marrying and considering buying a house, asked her father whether it would be fun to live in one. Sparks started drawing plans. Robinson ultimately decided to buy a conventional house rather than wait for him to build one, but Sparks carried on with the project.

The article says he uses his years of experience as a builder and former owner of a landscaping company to do most of the work himself.

Sparks, 53, works as a live-in caregiver for people with disabilities, a schedule that gives him every other week off and plenty of uninterrupted time for construction.

How did one Hobbit house become a popular Indiana attraction

The first house was supposed to be the end of the project, but curiosity seekers began stopping by to see it. Sparks added two smaller structures in 2020, featuring Hobbit elements favoured by his son and daughter, and then kept experimenting and building from scratch until he had a village.

He eventually built a semicircular driveway, partly because so many strangers were stopping that they needed an easier way to get back onto the highway.

"I get people to stop pretty much daily," Sparks said.One of those visitors was Monica Osting, a "Lord of the Rings" fan from Greenville, Ohio, who spotted a photograph of the house on a Facebook group devoted to Middle-earth. The article says she learned it was only about a 90-minute drive from her home, contacted Sparks and visited.

She later volunteered to create Rackshire's website, giving Sparks a way to promote the village without relying almost entirely on Facebook and word of mouth.

According to the report, Sparks organised his first festival in 2021, and more than 3,000 people attended over three days, including visitors from surrounding states and as far away as Pennsylvania. Some waited as long as 90 minutes to get inside the main house.

Robinson said last year's festival drew more than 2,000 people, and organisers used a handheld clicker to count admissions and had improved arrangements for parking and moving people onto the property.

What can visitors expect at Indiana’s Hobbit Festival

FPI News listed the Hobbit Festival, a celebration of Tolkien Week, as scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 26 and 27 at 4428 W. State Road 44, Connersville. Tolkien Week always falls near Sept. 22, known as Hobbit Day, the shared fictional birthday of the characters Bilbo and Frodo Baggins.

Admission was listed at $5 per person, cash only, with parking also $5, cash only, at a neighbouring farm at 4684 W. State Road 44.

The site's hilly terrain may not be suitable for those with mobility issues. Sparks had been recruiting vendors whose goods fit the setting, including pottery, leatherwork and armour, medieval-style clothing, woodworking, honey and blacksmithing. Robinson planned to sell fall concessions including homemade cider, caramel apples and pumpkin rolls, and costumes were encouraged but not required.

How will this Indiana Hobbit village become a medieval town

According to the report, Sparks envisions adding as many as 15 to 20 more small buildings to create something resembling a permanent medieval village, with shops for vendors, a central courtyard and a 24-foot bell tower. He is developing overnight accommodations and hopes the property can attract groups interested in Dungeons & Dragons and other fantasy gaming. He has also begun developing a gaming store, is taking reservations for overnight stays in the main house, and has discussed a nine-hole fantasy-themed miniature golf course with small waterways and bridges.

Sparks said his main goal is to provide for others the kind of escape Tolkien's tales gave him as a boy.