Indiana Landmarks.org
Most people associate Gene Stratton-Porter with her beloved 1909 novel, "A Girl of the Limberlost." Fewer know the author — a noted conservationist, photographer, and illustrator — was also interested in home design.
On a trip to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Gene and her husband Charles admired the Forestry Building.
This rustic, wooden structure influenced the couple’s later log-veneered homes. Gene helped design “The Cabin at Wildflower Woods,” her home on Rome City’s Sylvan Lake, completed in 1914 and situated amid 120 acres purchased with money from her writing royalties. The lake and adjacent woods inspired her novels, nature studies, poetry, children’s books, magazine articles, and photography.
Today, the property is a state historic site where visitors can learn about Gene Stratton-Porter’s life and work. It’s one of several landmarks open for special access during the Noble County Ramble on June 17, a tour presented by Indiana Landmarks and the Noble County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Learn more about the tour and buy tickets at https://www.indianalandmarks.org/event/noble-county-ramble/