Indiana's official "State Historic Sites" are remarkable gems bringing life to treasured Indiana…read morememories.
The Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site is located in Rome City, a Noble County city located on Sylvan Lake. This is one of two homes of Stratton-Porter to be named state historic sites (the other is Limberlost).
Considered Stratton-Porter's "cabin," this home is located among 148 acres and surrounded by fields, woods, and formal gardens.
Did you know that Stratton-Porter is Indiana's most widely read female author? She was also a nature photographer, naturist, and entrepreneur. Her novels include "The Song of the Cardinal" and "Michael O' Halloran."
The Carriage House Visitor Center is a great place to stop when here. You can wander around the grounds, explore her library, and even watch rare video footage of this early 20th century writer.
Admission is free to Indiana State Museum members and children under the age of 3. Otherwise, it's $6 for ages 3-17, $5 for Indiana college students (ID required), $8 for seniors (60+), and $9 for other adults. Access Pass members are also $5.
Indoor tours are only available by reservation for groups of four or more by calling the site at 260.854.3790.
Groups of 10 or more receive $1 off full-priced admission per person, based on age. Admission is FREE for pre-registered, accredited schools and homeschool groups of 10 or more K-12 students.
It's important to note that the site is open April-November.
Accessibility is a bit inconsistent, though given the age of the house that's to be expected. There's definitely a good effort made (as is true for most historic sites). I did feel like a few tweaks could have improved it a bit (thus the 4-star), however, I still had lots I could enjoy here and I found it incredibly relaxing.
As a writer myself, there's something awesome about enjoying Indiana's writing history.
You can also host events here!
I'm a big fan of Indiana's state historic sites and I'm trying to make my way to all of them. This is a definite gem and should be considered for a stop if in the Noble County (think Kendallville) area.
