A lakeside retreat inspired by Chicago. That’s the story of Gene Stratton-Porter Hall. Or rather the story of Gene Stratton-Porter’s cabin. It wasn’t in Chicago. It was in Indiana. But its design held a Chicago connection.
Gene Stratton-Porter a renowned Indiana author naturalist and photographer built her Sylvan Lake cabin in 1913. It’s not in Chicago. It’s in Indiana. But the design was inspired by the Forestry Building at Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. She and her husband visited the fair. They were captivated by the building’s rustic charm. This influence is evident in her fourteen-room cedar-log home.
Stratton-Porter lived in the cabin full-time from 1914 to 1919. Then she moved to California to continue her writing. She founded a movie studio there. She occasionally returned to Indiana until her death in 1924.
The cabin wasn’t just a home. It served as her creative workspace. She wrote several books there. This includes novels like Michael O’Halloran and A Daughter of the Land. She also wrote Homing with the Birds a book of nature studies and Morning Face a children’s book. Her work reflected her deep connection with nature. The lake’s setting provided privacy for her observations and writings.
The cabin’s interior is fascinating. The first floor includes a living room a dining room a library a kitchen a conservatory and a photographic darkroom. Wild cherry-wood panels adorned the entrance hall and dining room. The living room boasts a stone fireplace. The fireplace contains carved Aztec Indian heads. These were brought from Mexico by Stratton-Porter’s husband. The second floor featured bedrooms and sleeping porches.
The property extended to about 150 acres. It contained formal gardens orchards and a pond. It was a haven for wildlife and a perfect reflection of Stratton-Porter’s love for nature.
Today the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site is open to the public. You can visit the cabin explore the grounds and learn about this remarkable woman’s life and work. The site showcases her memorabilia including hand-colored pictures reference books and pottery. It’s a reminder of a woman who found inspiration in the natural world and shared it with the world. A legacy inspired by a building far away in Chicago. A remarkable story of nature writing and an Indiana home with Chicago roots.