Wildflower Woods, 1205 Pleasant Point, Rome City, Noble County, IN

2013 HALS Challenge Entry: Documenting the Cultural Landscapes of Women
Significance: Gene Stratton-Porter (1863-1924) was a novelist and nature writer who promoted landscape conservation through her fiction and nature-themed books. She was one of the bestselling authors of the early twentieth century, and when literary success made her a national celebrity, Stratton-Porter purchased a forested property on the banks of Sylvan Lake near Rome City, Indiana. She named this private retreat Wildflower Woods and built a large two-story house that included spaces for writing, a darkroom for photography, and a sunroom for gardening. She personally managed the construction of an expansive formal garden, and the transplanting of more than 10,000 plants, harvested from the surrounding countryside.

The property was designated a State Historic Site in 1945 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 (NRIS No. 74000015).
Survey number: HALS IN-8
Building/structure dates: ca. 1945 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: ca. 1912 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: ca. 1925- ca. 1935 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: ca. 1974 Subsequent Work
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 74000015