It’s time for another lovely Christmastime excursion — this time, to Hoosier naturalist and author Gene Stratton Porter‘s home in Rome City, Indiana.
Our whole family visited this home years ago when the girls were little. Then three years ago, a friend and I visited around Christmas. We decided to make the journey again.
After buying our tickets, we climbed aboard a horse-drawn wagon for a short trip over to the house.
And here we are! An overcast and cold day, but inside, the house seems remarkably warm and cozy. It is decorated as Gene describes the house being decorated during the Christmas 1917 season. She called it “a dream of beauty.”
Here we are in the entryway. I remember there being a story to this torch — unfortunately, I can’t recall it now. The wreath is lovely, and you’ll notice those throughout the decor.
The front room is one of my favorites. The cellist playing Christmas music was great. The fireplace is really interesting, made all of stone from the area. Some of the stones form a soldier shape and other unique things. Much of the stone is calling puddingstone — a conglomerate type of rock from glacial drift when glaciers advanced and retreated over the area long ago.
And here is the dining room, looking into the parlor. If the decor doesn’t look current to you, it’s not: you should feel like you’re in 1917.
I loved the china, featuring cardinals. Gene loved nature, particularly moths, butterflies, and birds. Cardinals were a special favorite of hers, and she wrote a book “The Song of the Cardinal.” It’s a short book, but really moving. I recommend it.
Let’s go into the parlor, for a glimpse of a 1917-era Christmas tree. And Santa too, of course! “Santa” told us he and his wife moved to a house on the lake here after retirement. He spoke about how wonderful it was to sit on the porch in the morning in such a peaceful setting.
Just beyond the foyer is probably my favorite room of the house, the sun room. I love the wreaths on the windows, and just to the right beyond your view is a table for repotting plants. How wonderful it would be to have such a room — any time of year, but especially in the winter!
After leaving the house, it was a short walk to the gardening shed, where we were invited to paint milkweed pods for Christmas tree ornaments. I’m not the most artistic person, but I love having this now as a remembrance of the day.
We went to the gift shop/guest center to finish up with refreshments.
The afternoon truly was a Dream of Beauty. If you are anywhere near the area, I encourage you to visit here. There are events throughout the year, and the house is usually open. The link has a 3-minute video showing the area that I think you’ll enjoy.
Girls in White Dresses 
LOVE the sunroom. I’d love a house with that as a feature!
That sounds like such a neat place to visit. The moss looks very much like something she would decorate her house with. Love the sunroom, and what a neat souvenir the milk pod ornament is!
That was a lovely description of your holiday visit, Susan. I really enjoyed the photos!
I certainly enjoyed the tour with you as the guide. The pictures are great with so much to see. I love the sunroom! What a beautiful, historical home to visit.
I just visited a historical mansion in the past few days. It, too, had a sun room which I loved. I’m glad you go to visit this place.
[…] Porter family later moved to Rome City, Indiana, and you may remember me writing about a visit to that house as […]
[…] you’d like to experience more of the Dream of Beauty, you can check out a review I wrote of the event several years ago. It’s fun to see how much of the decor looks the same, but […]