GSP Newsletter Spring 2011

8/3/2019 GSP Newsletter Spring 2011

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G E N E S T R A T T O N - P O R T E R

M E M O R I A L S O C I E T Y , I N C .

Friends in Feathers

Spring 2011

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

From the President 2

Manager’s Update 3

Summer Events 4

Reservations &

Membership Forms5

2011 Event Listing 8

Naturalist’s Corner 7

Bluebird Trail 6

E x c i t i n g E v e n t s M a k e F o r A B u s y 2 0 1 1

It’s time for another season of special events at theGene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site! This year prom-ises something for everyone with an expanded offering of events.

We kick off the season in May with the Wildflower Walk and Brunch. This annual event is sure to delight the

gardener or flower lover inyour home. Complete de-

tails for this event can befound on page 4.Our next event is for

the birds - the Wildflower Woods Bird Hike. Bringyour binoculars and join anaturalist as we look for

the birds who call Wildflower Woods home. You mayeven have a chance to meet one up close as John Schaust,Chief Naturalist for Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc., bands birds during this event.

Back to the gardens, but only if you’re romantic!Gene’s Moonlit Garden Tour is the perfect date night inJune. You’ll be serenaded with live music, sample localwines paired with cheese and top off the evening withsomething sweet - hand dipped chocolate strawberries.

Our Lecture Series returns, but on Wednesdays thisseason. Check out the complete lineup on page 4.

If you’ve ever wanted to try out Gene’s sleeping porch, here’s your chance. The Cabin Overnight returns, but this year in July. Guests will have the chance to ex- plore Gene’s Cabin from top to bottom, including areasnot normally open to the public. Once you’ve seenevery nook and cranny,choose your spot and roll

out your sleeping bag.Space is limited so reserveyour spot today. The $100admission also includessnacks and a full breakfast.

Look to the sky during the Star Gazing & Night Hikein July. Members of the Fort Wayne Astronomical Soci-ety will join us to help identify constellations over theWildflower Woods.

As you might have guessed, we can’t tell you aboutALL of the 2011 events in just one article. More detailsfor some of the Summer events can be found inside and

future issues will highlight our Fall events. Be sure tomark your calendar for our new events in 2011.

Gene Stratton-Porter was a woman of many interestsand talents and we hope the events here reflect that di-versity. Don’t let the season go by without attending atleast one...and hopefully more!

James Leo Meehan, Jr., born in Los Angeles on June 29,

1924, passed away at home on December 24, 2010 in Redondo

Beach, CA. He graduated from Loyola High School and at-

tended Loyola University. He served the US Army as a para-

trooper in WWII and, after he was honorably discharged, mar-

ried Ann Hicks and moved to Manhattan Beach. There he be-

gan a long career in banking. Jim loved the ocean and enjoyed

living at the beach in many ways. He is survived by his wife, Ann, his children Bridget, of

Gardena, Monica (Hans) of Torrance, Michael (Elena) of Haleiwa, HI and Patrick of

Redondo Beach as well as grandchildren, Shannon, Thomas, Kyle, Ingrid, Kristian and Ar-

lene and 4 great grandchildren, Ryder, Blessany, Lennox and Broxton and his 2 nephews

Christopher (Brenda) and Matthew (Shari). There was a private family memorial service

where his ashes were scattered. Jim was Gene’s grandson and will be greatly missed.

F a r e w e l l t o O u r F r i e n d

Photo courtesy of Monica Berg

Photo by Alaina Carnahan




If you are like me, it is really greatto have the opportunity to enjoy somenice weather. The plants know that itis time to come out and get involved.

Speaking of getting involved, wehave done something new this year toacquaint people with our State His-

toric Site. For a number of years we have taken part inthe Kendallville Home & Garden Show and found itto be very beneficial to the Site.

This year we had a booth at the Fort Wayne Home& Garden Show. It is amazing that we always find people who tell us that they have not been to our Siteor that they have not been to it since they went on agrade school tour. When you tell them how close it isfor them and the things that we have to offer, they tellus that they will visit us.

Between the two shows we had about 3,000 peoplevisit our booth. One thing that seemed to be of inter-est to just about everyone we talked with was our tre-mendous display of wildflowers in the Spring. It isreally neat having the opportunity to share Gene’slegacy with others.

During the show we did have some guests indicatethat they would like to become volunteers at GeneStratton-Porter. Last year we started a volunteer train-ing program. This year’s Volunteer Orientation andRefresher program will be on September 10. We wel-come our returning volunteers as well as new volun-

teers to take part in the program. The volunteers that participated last year thought it was very helpful.Carolyn Linsenmayer is chairing this event.

The Annual Meeting of the GSP Memorial Societywill be held on Tuesday, May 10, starting at 5:30 p.m.in the GSP Carriage House. You will find the reserva-tion form on page 5 and the details are listed below.

When you review the list of events for 2011, youwill notice that we have increased the number of events. We hope to make each event even bigger and better than last year. One of the events we’ll be mak-ing big changes to is our “Dream of Beauty” HolidayWalk. It is too early to give the details, but please putit on your calendar.

Over the past few months, your Board has beenreviewing the bylaws. As a result of that study, somechanges have been made. Several changes relate toterms of Board members and we will increase our Board to 9 members. I will highlight other changes atthe Annual Meeting. Have you considered serving on

the board? Please let us know if you have an interestin serving.

I would like to remind you that with tight State budgets, we need many additional volunteers to carryout our programming and support of the Site. Pleaseinvite your family, friends and neighbors to becomevolunteers. We can use volunteers in just about everyarea of the operation. For more information, pleasecontact the Site at (260) 854-3790.

Thank you for all of your support and please come

and visit the Site and take part in the activities.

John Kessen

P a g e 2

F r o m t h e P r e s i d e n t

SAVE THE DATESAVE THE DATESAVE THE DATESAVE THE DATEGene Stratton-Porter Memorial Society, Inc.

Annual MeetingTuesday, May 10, 2011Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site Carriage House

Reception 5:30 p.m.Dinner served at 6:00 p.m. with meeting to follow

$14 per person (reservations required - form on page 5)



P a g e 3

2011 brings another seasonopening to the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site. That means an-other winter has passed, another

spring is here and another summer is just around the corner. What thatreally means is work, work, work!

The dedicated crew of staff andvolunteers did as much as possibleover the winter and then kickedthings into high gear as spring ap- proached. We hope you’ll be visit-ing soon to enjoy another spring’s bloom and see some of our mostrecent improvements.

Outside, you might notice the

new grill near the shelter house (bythe Visitor parking lot) and a simi-lar grill on the Bolman Trail near Hilltop. These grills were installedfor public use and we hope to seelots of burgers, brats and other meals being cooked at GSP. JohnBishop, GSP maintenance, used hismasonry skills to install and deco-rate these grills.

Sower’s Woods has also had a bit of a facelift as well. The YHCC

youth started rehabbing the trailslast summer, but this was a major job! John Bishop has recently com-

pleted the trails, and we will be fin-ishing off the project with beautifulstones numbering the trails just asyou see in Gene’s Tame Garden.

You might remember that last

year, Gene’s arbor was completelyrestored. We’re anxiously awaitingthe Wisteria blooms and Tara Vinefoliage to fill in and cover the black locust arbor. Our own Dennis Noak lovingly replaced the vines andMarilyn Carunchia has started newWisteria for the south end. Wethink the plants will enjoy their new, sturdier home.

The Sower Farmhouse receiveda new roof to prevent damage to the

interior. The Carriage House Visi-tors’ Center received a fresh paintof coat inside this winter as well.

Blinds have also been installed inthe Carriage House to allow for bet-ter multi-media presentations and preservation of artifacts.

Inside the Cabin, we movedsome of the furniture. It’s likely thatGene would have moved the furni-ture from time to time but our movehas more of a purpose. We’re con-stantly researching to find out howthings were when Gene lived here.Our ultimate goal is to return theCabin to a state which looks likeGene just stepped out for a bit.

The library is now the way Geneused it based on historical photos.

Moving that furniture has also al-lowed us to open the front parlor toa more comfortable state. We’reworking hard to restore each of therooms, although this will take con-siderable time, effort and eventuallymoney as we acquire more of Gene’s belongings or period piecesfor the Cabin.

We’re working hard to makeGSP a place Gene would be proudto share and hope that you’ll join us

in those efforts - either by visitingor volunteering.

M a n a g e r ’ s U p d a t eB y D a v e W . F o x

A d d Y o u r L e g a c y t o G e n e ’ s

with your tax professional, financialadvisor or banker about what type of planned gift might benefit you most.

By rememberingthe Gene Stratton-Porter Memorial Soci-ety in your financial

planning, you helpensure the future of the Gene Stratton-Porter State HistoricSite and help further the legacy of GeneStratton-Porter. Fundsare used for a varietyof purposes including educational

programming and outreach, specialevents, maintenance and restora-tion of the gardens and grounds

and improvements to the en-tire Site.

Your gift can help spreadthe works and philosophy of

Gene Stratton-Porter to a newgeneration. Her ideals of na-ture, family, life-long learn-ing and community will beshared with thousands.

Please consider the GeneStratton-Porter legacy alongwith your own...you can

make a difference.

Perhaps you’re not thinkingabout your own personal legacyright now, but maybe you should.You might have a family that youconsider to be your legacy, or youmight have achieved significant professional and personal accom-

plishments that will endure time.Consider another way to leave alasting mark by contributing toGene Stratton-Porter’s legacy with a planned gift.

There are many types of plannedgifts and each one has benefits to both the donor, heirs and the recipi-ent. We encourage you to speak

Photo by Dave Fox



P a g e 4

teria winding its way around itsnew sturdy home.

By now, you’re sure to have

worked up an appetite so it’s back to the Carriage Housewhere a delicious brunch awaitsyou. Choose from rich waffles,fluffy eggs, crisp bacon, freshfruit and more.

While enjoying the food,you’ll also have time to chat

We have the perfect way tospend a Saturday in May.

You’ll need your senses as wegather in the Carriage HouseVisitors’ Center to begin our outing.

Step into Wildflower Woods and use your sight andsmell to find newly buddingwildflowers of all types. Listento discover robins, chickadeesand cardinals are followingyou on your journey.

From the Woods, it’s back to the formal gardens for dif-ferent flowers and plants. Your friendly guides will help iden-tify some you may not be fa-miliar with. Gaze at the newlyrestored arbor and take in the beautiful fragrance of the Wis-

W i l d f l o w e r W a l k & B r u n c h

D e l i g h t s t h e S e n s e s

with other guests and your guides about your experiences.

Did you find a wildflower peek-ing out that no one else saw?How many of you saw newflowers and plants?

These experiences and moreawait you at the Wildflower Walk and Brunch at Gene Strat-ton-Porter State Historic Site onSaturday, May 7, from 10:30a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

Tickets are $20 per person,

reservations are required by4/30/11. To tour Gene’s Cabinat Wildflower Woods, ticketsmay be purchased for an addi-tional fee. Please call the Site at(260) 854-3790 to make your reservations for the perfect wayto spend a Saturday in May.

of them as creepy and crawly butthey can be beneficial to your yard.

On August 17, our topic shiftsto one of Gene’s own passions -Photography. Bring your cameraand learn tips for getting the mostfrom your shots. Even Gene startedout learning through trial and error but attending this lecture mighthelp avoid those errors.

We wrap up 2011 with another evening of myth-busting as we

learn more about Entomology - thestudy of insects. Sure, it’s easy towant to swat what buzzes around but what good do insects do?Learn all about insects - the good,the bad and the bugly.

We hope to see you at one or allof the 2011 Lecture Series talks.

The 2011 Lecture Series hasmoved to Wednesday. We have agreat lineup this year with a vari-ety of topics. Each lecture beginsat 6 p.m. and costs just $3 per person.

To kick off the series, join usfor Birdscaping on June 15. DenaPurcell of Wild Birds Unlimited -Fort Wayne will share tips for attracting birds and other wildlifeto your own backyard. Using na-

tive plants makes care and main-tenance easy for you and irresisti- ble for your feathered friends.

Our next lecture on July 20features snakes, frogs, turtles andmore. Join us to learn more aboutHerpetology, the study of reptilesand amphibians. You might think

2 0 1 1 L e c t u r e S e r i e s

M o v e s t o W e d n e s d a y Mark Your Calendar

For the Fall Volunteer Programon Saturday, September 10.Enjoy meeting other GSP

Volunteers, learn more aboutvolunteer opportunities, GSPhistory and the Department of

Natural Resources at this event.We’ll even roast some hot dogson the Site’s new grill near theVisitor Parking Lot. You won’twant to miss this chance to learn

and enjoy with other GSP

volunteers. Following theVolunteer Program, local author Barb Morrow will sign copies of

her Gene Stratton-Porter biography at the Site. Moreinformation will be in future

newsletters.




Not a GSP Memorial Society member yet? Join today!Complete and return this form.

___________________________________________________________ Name

___________________________________________________________ Number of people attending ($14 per person)

___________________________________________________________ Street Address

___________________________________________________________

City State Zip Phone Number

___________________________________________________________ E-mail Address

Gene Stratton-Porter Memorial Society, Inc.

2011 Annual Meeting Registration

Reservations are dueno later than May 5.

Tickets are $14 per person. Please make your check

payable to:Gene Stratton-Porter

Memorial Society, Inc.and mail,

along with this form, toGSP Memorial Society,

1205 Pleasant Point, Rome City, Indiana 46784

Questions? Please call (260) 854-3790

___________________________________________________________ Name

___________________________________________________________ Business or Non-Profit Organization (if applicable)

___________________________________________________________ Street Address

___________________________________________________________ City State Zip Phone Number

___________________________________________________________ E-mail Address

Gene Stratton-Porter Memorial Society, Inc. Membership ApplicationSingle $10.00

Family $15.00

Sustaining $20.00

Non-Profit Org. $25.00

Business $25.00

Life (40 years or older)

Single $100.00

Family $150.00

Please make your check payable to:

Gene Stratton-Porter Memorial Society, Inc. and mail, along

with this form, toGSP Memorial Society,1205 Pleasant Point,

Rome City, Indiana 46784

Your GSP Memorial Society membership includes 3 newsletters

each year, invitations to special events and a 10% discount in the

GSP gift shop. Your membership dues support educational

programs, special events and help continue Gene’s legacy!

Don’t Forget to Register for the 2011 Annual Meeting!Complete and mail the form below and keep the reminder on page 2

as your Save the Date card.



P a g e 6

Gene Stratton-Porter wrote to the Governor in 1923 urginghim to make her 125 acres on Sylvan Lake a State-run bird, but-terfly and botany sanctuary. Now, nearly 100 years later her vi-

sion is being realized.A stroll through her gardens and paths allows you to see first-

hand the work of countless gardening hours. Many of Gene’soriginal plant species thrive today. Those plants attract and feedcountless butterflies and moths. While work in those areas con-tinues, Gene’s birds need your help too.

Please consider sponsoring a box on the GSP Bluebird Trail.These nesting boxes will provide safe shelter for one of Indiana’sfavorite songbirds, the Eastern Bluebird...becoming less and lesscommon due to habitat destruction and other perils of modernlife.

Your support can make a

difference - for the birds and

S p r e a d H a p p i n e s s b y H e l p i n g B l u e b i r d s

Did you know that by attending any or all of theevents held at the Gene Stratton-Porter State His-toric Site, you’re doing more than learning and hav-ing fun? You’re actually helping carry on Gene’s

legacy of nature, conservation, life-long learningand community.

All proceeds from events held at the GSP Site, aswell as any purchases made in the Gift Shop, stay atthe Site locally and are used to fund educational pro-gramming as well as to maintain and restore theGardens and Grounds. You can feel good knowingthat your admission or Gift Shop purchase is helpingGene’s legacy live on for future generations.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

H o w Y o u r P u r c h a s e

H e l p s G S P

Fledgling - Sponsors a single box onthe trail.

$25

Flock - Sponsors 10 boxes on the trail.Ideal for groups or businesses.

$250

Name

Address

Phone

GSP Bluebird Trail Sponsorship Form

I would like to support the GSP Bluebird Trail atthe following level:

Fledgling - $25

Flock - $250

All contributions are made to the Gene Stratton-

Porter Memorial Society, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit

group and are tax deductible.

Please mail or bring this completed form to:

Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site, 1205 Pleasant Point, Rome City, Indiana 46784*All checks should be made payable to: Gene Stratton-Porter Memorial Society, Inc.*Please write “Bluebird Trail” in the memo line of your check.For more information, please call 260-854-3790 or e-mail [email protected]

This spotlight shines on Alaina Carnahan, volunteer photographer. Despite a very busy schedule shooting for local newspapers, weddings and portraits, Alaina somehowfinds time to escape to GSP for special events and everydayshots of the ever-changing gardens and grounds.

We are very fortunate to have a professional photographer who graciously donates not only her time and talent, but also her photographs. You can see Alaina’s beautifulwork on the GSP Memorial Society Facebook page as wellas throughout this newsletter and on flyers used around theSite. She’ll also be presenting the Third Wednesday Lec-ture on Photography later this summer.

If you’re looking for a professional photographer, pleaseconsider our very own volunteer Alaina (Ace of Images).You can find her on Facebook or www.aceofimages.com.

V o l u n t e e r S p o t l i g h t



P a g e 7

Dennis Noak, one of our volunteers, has had some luck with just pulling the tops off. We arehoping to try a variation of this

while applying Roundup. While thissounds like a good option, we haveto be very careful to not spray sur-rounding plants because theRoundup will kill them as well,making it much more tedious.

Garlic mustard is just asfinicky. But hand pulling it and dis- posing of it in garbage bags seemsto be the best way to get rid of it.Even after pulling the biennial plant, the seeds that fall are viable

for five years. So the plants need to be collected at just the right timeand quickly to prevent the seedsfrom dropping.

Volunteers play a large partin helping us eradicate both of these pesky plants. Not sure what you are

looking for? We have plenty of information and knowledge wewould love to share with you. Feelfree to come by the site and help us

dig and pull out these pests.

We have regular Garden

Work Days and truly appreciateany help you can provide. Upcom-ing Garden Work Days are Satur-day, May 21, June 11, and July 16from 9 a.m. until Noon. Tools andeducation are provided - just bringyourself!

N a t u r a l i s t ’ s C o r n e rB y T i f f a n y C o n r a d

Spring has arrived here atGene Stratton-Porter and with it,Star of Bethlehem and its sidekick,garlic mustard. These are both inva-

sive plants that we battle everyspring and into the summer at theSite. Star of Bethlehem is mostvisible in the gardens right now andit is everywhere.

There is no easy method toget rid of it other than digging outeach bulb, some of which can be assmall as a grain of rice.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Gene

Stratton-Porter’s The Harvester. To celebrate thisoccasion, all copies of The Harvester are 10% off inthe GSP Gift Shop. This novel is an inspiring tale of hard work, love and compassion. Follow DavidLangston, the Harvester, on his path to find hisdream girl and care for her through sickness anddark times. His trustydog Bel is never far from his side, whether harvesting ginseng or building a home for hisdream girl.

Gene Stratton-Porter used some of the de-scriptions from The

Harvester as plans for her Cabin at Wildflower Woods. So read thenovel and visit the Siteto see what similaritiesyou find!

G i f t S h o p

S h o w c a s e

T h a n k s t o O u r

S u p p o r t e r s

We’d like to highlight some of our loyal supporters who

help us continue Gene’s legacy. Each issue, we’ll showcase businesses or individuals who make contributions to GSP.

NATURE UNLIMITED Dave Yoder of Nature Unlimited inTopeka donates bird seed and suet to keepthe feathered residents of GSP well-fedthroughout the year. You can visit NatureUnlimited at 219 Nature Trail in Topekafor his selection of feeders, houses, seed,suet and more. They also have PurpleMartin houses like the one near theSowers Barn on Site. Dave’s donations are

greatly appreciated by the birds and birdwatchers alike!

FORT WAYNE HOME & GARDEN SHOW The Fort Wayne Home & Garden Show, produced by FortWayne Shows, Inc., graciously provided a booth at nocharge for the GSP Memorial Society. Please join us nextyear at the 39th Annual Fort Wayne Home & Garden Show- March 1-4 at the Allen County Memorial Coliseum.www.home-gardenshow.com

Star of Bethlehem

Garlic Mustard



1 2 0 5 P l e a s a n t P o i n t

R o m e C i t y , I N 4 6 7 8 4

( 2 6 0 ) 8 5 4 - 3 7 9 0

G E N E S T R A T T O N - P O R T E R

M E M O R I A L S O C I E T Y , I N C .

V I S I T S O O N !

2 0 1 1

E v e n t s

W i l d f l o w e r W a l k & B r u n c h

S a t u r d a y , M a y 7 , 1 0 : 3 0 a . m

. - 1 2 : 3 0 p . m . , $ 2 0

W i l d f l o w e r W o o d s B i r d H i k e

S a t u r d a y , M a y 1 4 , 2 - 5 p . m . , $ 3

G e n e ’ s M o o n l i t G a r d e n T o u r

S a t u r d a y , J u n e 1 1 , 8 - 1 0 p

. m . , $ 2 0

T h i r d W e d n e s d a y L e c t u r e

S e r i e s : B i r d s c a p i n g

W e d n e s d a y , J u n e 1 5 , 6 - 8

p . m . , $ 3

G e n e S t r a t t o n - P o r t e r C a b i n O v e r n i g h t

S a t u r d a y - S u n d a y , J u l y 1 6

- 1 7 , 8 : 3 0 p . m . - 8 : 3 0 a . m . , $ 1 0 0


S e r i e s : H e r p e t o l o g y

W e d n e s d a y , J u l y 2 0 , 6 - 8 p . m . , $ 3

S t a r G a z i n g & N i g h t H i k e

S a t u r d a y , J u l y 3 0 , 9 - 1 1 p . m . , $ 3

C h a u t a u q u a D a y s

S a t u r d a y & S u n d a y , A u g 1

3 & 1 4 , N o o n - 4 p . m . , $ 3


S e r i e s : P h o t o g r a p h y

W e d n e s d a y , A u g u s t 1 7 , 6 - 8 p . m . , $ 3


S e r i e s : E n t o m o l o g y

W e d n e s d a y , S e p t e m b e r 2 1

, 6 - 8 p . m . , $ 3

U p l a n d W i l d l i f e C o o k o u t

S a t u r d a y , S e p t e m b e r 2 4 , 6

- 9 p . m . , $ 5 s u g g e s t e d d o n a t i o n

B i r d i n g b y K a y a k

S a t u r d a y , O c t o b e r 1 , 8 - 1 1

a . m . , $ 3

O w l - o w e e n

F r i d a y & S a t u r d a y , O c t o b e

r 1 4 & 1 5 , 6 : 3 0 - 8 : 3 0 p . m . , $ 3

G e n e S t r a t t o n - P o r t e r A u t u

m n T e a

M o n d a y , O c t o b e r 1 7 , N o o n - 4 p . m . , $ 2 5

A D r e a m o f B e a u t y H o l i d a

y W a l k

S a t u r d a y , N o v e m b e r 1 9 , 1 1 a . m . - 9 p . m . , $ 3

F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o n e v e n t s ,

p l e a s e c a

l l 2 6 0 - 8 5 4 - 3 7 9 0

Documents

GSP Newsletter Spring 2011