Gene Stratton-Porter Cabin, (Geneva, Indiana), known as the Limberlost Cabin and the Limberlost State Historic Site, was the former home of
Gene Stratton Porter, a noted
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
author who lived in the home from 1895 to 1913. The two-story, fourteen-room log cabin is located near the
Limberlost Swamp on the outskirts of
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
in
Adams County, Indiana
Adams County lies in northeastern Indiana in the United States and shares its eastern border with Ohio. It was officially established in 1836. The county seat is Decatur. According to the 2020 census, its population was 35,809, an increase of ...
. Stratton-Porter designed the
Queen Anne-style rustic home with the help of an architect. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1974.
Stratton-Porter, who began her literary career in 1900, used the cabin as the base for her field research, natural history collecting, writing projects, and photographic work. She wrote ''The Song of the Cardinal'' (1903) and researched ''Moths of the Limberlost'' (1912) while living at the cabin. Stratton-Porter also used the Limberlost area as the setting for three novels:
''Freckles'' (1904) and
''A Girl of the Limberlost'' (1909) and ''Laddie'' (1913).
History
Gene Stratton-Porter
Gene Stratton-Porter (August 17, 1863 – December 6, 1924), born Geneva Grace Stratton, was an American writer, nature photographer, and naturalist from Wabash County, Indiana. In 1917 Stratton-Porter urged legislative support for the Habitat co ...
, her husband, Charles Dorwin Porter, and their daughter Jeannette, moved from
Decatur to
Geneva, Indiana, after Jeanette's birth in 1887.
Construction began on their new, two-story home at 200 East Sixth Avenue in Geneva in 1894. Stratton-Porter designed the home, which was described as "the most pretentious dwelling in the Geneva area," with the help of an architect. The cabin was completed in 1895, the same year that she began to write and publish her first magazine articles. The Porters named their new home Limberlost Cabin in reference to its location near the
Limberlost Swamp, in
Adams
Adams may refer to:
* For persons, see Adams (surname)
Places United States
*Adams, California
*Adams, California, former name of Corte Madera, California
* Adams, Decatur County, Indiana
*Adams, Kentucky
*Adams, Massachusetts, a New England to ...
and
Jay
Jays are a paraphyletic grouping of passerine birds within the family Corvidae. Although the term "jay" carries no taxonomic weight, most or all of the birds referred to as jays share a few similarities: they are small to medium-sized, usually ...
Counties, where Stratton-Porter found the inspiration for her writing.
Stratton-Porter lived in the cabin at Geneva with her husband and daughter for eighteen years and referred to their large, fourteen-room home as "the cabin."
Between 1888 and 1910, the area's wetlands at the Limberlost Swamp were drained to reclaim the land for commercial and agricultural development. By 1912 the work to drain the wetlands for cultivation was complete and the natural habitat of the wildlife that Stratton-Porter documented in her books was destroyed. As a result of the development, Stratton-Porter decided to relocate. In 1914 Stratton-Porter and her family moved from the Limberlost Cabin to a new cabin that she called Wildflower Woods at Sylvan Lake near Rome City in Noble County, Indiana
Noble County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 47,457. The county seat is Albion. The county is divided into 13 townships which provide local services. Noble County comprises th ...
, about from Geneva. Charles Porter continued to live at Limberlost Cabin and commuted to Sylvan Lake on the weekends. The Porters sold the property in Geneva in 1923.
The Limberlost Conservation Association of Geneva donated the Limberlost Cabin to the State of Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
in 1947. The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites operates the state historic site as a historic house museum
A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that is preserved as a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of ...
. Some of Stratton-Porter's possessions are on display in the cabin, including her collection of mounted moths, household furnishings, and other memorabilia. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1974. The site is open to the public and includes the Limberlost Cabin, a carriage house, and a visitor center. Guided tours of the cabin are available.
Description
Working with an architect, Stratton-Porter designed a two-story, fourteen-room home for her family in the late 1890s. The home was inspired by the Forestry Building at the World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...
in Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, which the Porters visited in 1893.
The two-story, Queen Anne-style home has a Wisconsin white cedar-log exterior and features California redwood shingles on the upper story. The front facade features a single-story wraparound porch with log pillars across the front and east side. The fourteen-room home includes a wood-framed interior with red oak panels in the entrance hall, dining room, and library. The first floor also contains a kitchen, two bedrooms, a music room, a small conservatory, and a full bathroom (which Stratton-Porter also used as a photographic darkroom). The second floor included four large rooms. The home also featured seven fireplaces, large windows, and white oak floors.[ ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs] A cedar-log barn/carriage house was erected behind the home. The property also included a yard filled with fruit trees, vines, and bushes, as well as a large flower garden.
Significance
The Limberlost Cabin, in addition to serving as the Porters' residence, was Stratton-Porter's base for her field research, natural history collecting, writing projects, and photographic work. While residing in Geneva, Stratton-Porter spent much of her time exploring, observing nature, sketching, and making photographs at the Limberlost Swamp. The cabin is also where she began writing her literary career at the age of thirty-six.[ Stratton-Porter used her fictional writings to educate readers about birding and nature while interlacing the stories with romance and moral lessons. Her popularity was so high during ]World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
that "reprints of the novel were said to have littered the trenches."
Stratton-Porter's first published article appeared in ''Recreation'' magazine in 1900 when she was living at Limberlost Cabin. She also wrote her first novel, ''The Song of the Cardinal'' (1903), while living there. Stratton-Porter used the nearby swamp for research for her natural history book, ''Moths of the Limberlost'' (1912), as well. In addition, the area was the setting for three of her popular novels: ''Freckles'' (1904), ''A Girl of the Limberlost'' (1909) and ''Laddie'' (1913). While a resident of Geneva, Stratton-Porter became known as "The Bird Lady" and "The Lady of the Limberlost" to her friends and readers.
Notes
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External links
Limberlost State Historic Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Gene Stratton, Cabin
1895 establishments in Indiana
Log houses in the United States
Historic house museums in Indiana
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana
Houses completed in 1895
Houses in Adams County, Indiana
National Register of Historic Places in Adams County, Indiana
Museums in Adams County, Indiana
Indiana State Historic Sites
Literary museums in the United States
Log buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana
Gene Stratton-Porter