gene stratton-porter state historic site

Gene Stratton Porter is a well-known Indiana author and naturalist from the early 1900s who built this house on the banks of Sylvan Lake as a place to be in nature and live for parts of the year. The grounds are free to enter and explore and are very well maintained with well-marked trails, several flower gardens, and pavilion near the parking lot. The visitor's center is built on the site of the original carriage house, and contains a gift shop, restrooms, a small nature room, and meeting space upstairs. The gift shop is also where you buy tickets ($5) for the tour of the house. (The house is only open for guided tours.) The tour was about 45 minutes and I found the tour guide knowledgeable and helpful. Only the first floor - living room, dining room, kitchen, entryway, etc - are available for viewing. The site manager lives in the upper level of the house. An enjoyable place to spend a few hours.

I lived near GSP and went on the tour when I was younger numerous times. Unfortunately the State has taken it over and it's now a museum so hands off to everything. Which I understand, but not very personable. In fact the tour guide was from another state and you could tell. Upstairs off limits (with tv noise), and had to pay $5pp to see about 800 sq ft. And there were so many donation boxes set up in and around the gardens it was tacky. No kitchen appliances and didn't know if a lot of the pieces were original, where they came from, etc.

I honestly knew nothing or ever heard anything of this lady "Gene Stratton-Porter". I didn't take a tour here or anything but my friends where showing me around the area and we stopped by to take a look at the property and the lake that it over sees. My friends knew of the history of her and told me all about her. It was very interesting and I look forward to coming back in the summer to take the tour inside and get an even better understanding of this wonderful nature watcher.

We had never been there before and were pleasantly surprised. The cabin is in a beautiful setting and the leaves were in full color and the lake was lovely. The guide was very knowledgeable and they have many of her personal items in the cabin. The views from the cabin are wonderful. It was nice to walk by the lake and in her garden. There is a nice gift shop and a display of movie posters and pictures from her books. Also a nice collection of Antique hats. Well worth the trip.

I have been to "The Cabin at Wildflower Wood's" many times and never get tired of walking the beautiful grounds. After parking it is just a short relaxing walk under a canopy of huge trees to the visitor center. On the way there you will notice the grave site for Gene and her daughter. For a small 5 dollar fee or 4 dollars for a senior you can take the tour of Gene's cabin home which is well worth your time. Who is Gene Stratton-Porter you may ask? Well,she was quite busy in the early 1900's writing about her love of nature for magazines,writing numerous books,painting and taking many wonderful photographs of birds,wildflowers and insects such as butterflies and moths. Many of her photo's still hang in the cabin. Considering the inferior equipment she had compared to today's it is amazing the results she got! We hear about conservation today but Gene was one of the first to talk about it. Some of her books such as "Freckles" and "Laddie" were made into movies. Gene didn't like the way Hollywood portrayed her books so she moved to California and started her own movie company. She was a women who could do anything and was very passionate about nature. If you have time to kill before your cabin tour be sure to see the small museum they have and check out the letter her husband to be wrote to her asking if he may court her. Also see the garden's,many of the flowers Gene planted are still coming up. What a wonderful story she had and what a wonderful place this is.

Tucked away on the outskirts of Rome City on Sylvan Lake is a little piece of heaven and history. The home that once belonged to author and naturalist Gene Stratton-Porter is in tune with it's natural surroundings. Simple yet sophisticated like her gardens, the house designed by Gene who called it, "The Cabin at Wildflower Woods," is a reflection of her passion for nature. Our delightful tour gave us a look at Gene's life and loves including her pudding stone fireplace (one of three fireplaces in the house,) gardening room and a peek at her darkroom. The grounds were easily accessible with plenty of seating for resting a spell and taking in the beauty of Spring - looking out at the lake, taking in the arboured gardens and the natural woodlands. If you go, be certain to take a hike down to the Porter spring that bubbles up near the lake front and visit the tomb where Gene found her final resting place beneath the canopy of trees. The second of the two Indiana residences built by Gene Stratton-Porter and her husband (Limberlost is the other) both State Historic Sites are well worth the drive. From Indianapolis it took us about three hours. Admission was complimentary with my Indiana State Museum membership.- Elizabeth Jordan (Indianapolis)