Stratton-Porter touches summer workers at Limberlost

Authored by Jim Langham on Aug 16, 2010

Three young Adams County ladies found more than employment at the Limberlost State Historic Site in Geneva this past summer. Amy Dietrich, Tori Bullock and Tiffany Morgan met the grand lady of Hoosier writing (Gene Stratton-Porter) and learned to appreciate her in a new way while working at her former home on a summer jobs program.
All three girls were hired in for summer jobs through the Young Hoosiers Conservation Corps program. The opening occurred through the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and allows those involved to do community improvement while earning some extra cash during the summer months.
Dietrich, Bullock and Morgan were mainly involved in landscaping, maintenance and restoration projects at the cabin. They were employed initially through Work One in Decatur.
“It sounded interesting to me from the very beginning,” said Dietrich. “I pulled weeds, painted, cleaned windows, trimmed bushes, did different kinds of outside work and helped do some restoration on the house,” Dietrich said.
“Before coming here I didn’t have any idea about landscaping,” continued Dietrich. “I did everything from feeding turtles to learning how to trim bushes the proper way,” Dietrich continued. “I learned all about the swamp land and wild flowers and how Gene Stratton-Porter learned about wild flowers.”
Bullock, who was raised in Ossian, had heard very little about the Limberlost or Porter. However, that changed quickly as one of her responsibilities was that of giving tours of the cabin and answering questions about Stratton-Porter. Thankfully, she didn’t only enjoy the material she was asked to learn, she, and the other girls, fell in love with Porter and her independence immediately.
“I was asked to learn various types of information. I was also asked to read, ‘Freckles,’ and ‘Girl of the Limberlost,” explained Bullock. “I thought she was interesting. I went on to read a couple of her other books, including, ‘Harvester.’
“She (Stratton-Porter) was a lady way ahead of her time,” continued Bullock. “She was not committed to her husband’s work. She moved and went where she wanted to go and did what she wanted to do. She was very independent, a very unusual trait of the times in which she lived.”
Bullock noted that working with the public was very rewarding because it increased her own self-confidence. She not only became committed to her work, but to the interest of Stratton-Porter and the historic site itself.
Those working through the YHCC are involved in situations where they may revitalize historic buildings, create and rehabilitate trails and restore acres of natural habitat. They are also called upon to work in emergency cleanup, maintenance of traffic signs, equipment refurbishing and beautification of Indiana’s highway rest areas and interchanges.
Morgan, a 2004 graduate of
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Bellmont High School, spent much of her time working on the outside of the cabin. Fortunately, work that she had with her father in helping maintain a trailer park came in handy in working on the cabin.
“I loved working for Randy (Lehman, site director). There were so many things to do; it was never boring and you never knew what you would be doing from day to day,” said Morgan. “There was never a dull day. Randy kept me on my toes. The people at the cabin are absolutely wonderful, and it was a great opportunity to learn new things.”
Morgan was no stranger to the world of Stratton-Porter because she had studied about her while she was involved with the Girl Scouts. She had read several of Porter’s books when she was younger.
“She was an extraordinary woman,” said Morgan. “To do all of the things that she did in those times was very hard and very difficult. I like what she did because she started to establish a way that has given me the independence that I have today.”
Morgan said that one of the most meaningful aspects of her job was learning about nature. Learning more about butterflies brought her closer to nature and her own spirituality and faith in God. Ultimately, it drew her closer to her own seven-year-old daughter.
“It showed me what the world is capable of doing,” said Morgan. “I realized how everything is a process, how butterflies start from eggs and then go to the caterpillar stage.
“My daughter found a caterpillar and found an egg,” said Morgan. “We took care of it, nursed it to health, and sent it on its way. It was a very special time of learning with my daughter and me. I love what I did on this job. It taught me values in life, how to take care of myself and to appreciate more what is out there.”
“This was a very rewarding job. I realized the importance of keeping a historic site open,” said Dietrich. “The gardening and the landscaping was very interesting. I plan to keep reading more about Gene Stratton-Porter. I want to learn more about how she enjoyed nature and why she did.”
“During the tours I learned a lot from the people,” said Bullock. “I learned to appreciate our Indiana heritage more. In personal skills, I learned more how to interact with people. I learned how to go out of my way to connect with them personally. There are things that I learned that I know that I will carry with me the rest of my life.”

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