In 1895 Gene Stratton-Porter and her husband built their home near the Limberlost Swamp in Geneva, Indiana. The "swamp" covered 13,000 acres and it became an inspiration for both her fiction and non-fiction writing. By the time she settled there a long term drainage project had begun, altering the natural wetland environment for the purpose of allowing large scale farming operations.
The home at Limberlost is a large 14 room rustic log cabin built in the Queen Ann style.
Gene Stratton-Porter published both nature studies and novels celebrating the life and the ecology of the Limberlost region. By 1910 she had become a recognized American author publishing Freckles in 1904 and A Girl of the Limberlost in 1909.
What I learned from my visit to the state historic site is that her legacy reaches far beyond her status as the writer of classics of Indiana literature. She has been widely recognized by the conservation community for her non-fiction books and her early environmental activism. She spoke out often to ensure that natural areas were not drained for economic gain.
In 1993 a group called Limberlost Swamp Remembered formed in order to begin reclamation of a portion of the original 13,000 acre swamp. Today 1,500 acres known as Loblolly Marsh are available to the public, having been restored. And this year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Gene Stratton-Porter. She died suddenly on December 6, 1924. Today she is still read, quoted and written about by contemporary students of both American literature and the conservation movement.
