Noble County Ramble: Historic Sites & Local Bites

Get an inside look at restored Noble County landmarks and sample local food along the way.

Photos: Jared Christiansen Images and Todd Zeiger

Saturday, August 24, 2024

Check-in at Newman and Newman Law Offices, 107 W. Jefferson St., Albion
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. EDT (Check in any time between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.)

Bring your appetite for local cuisine and restored landmarks to Noble County for a go-at-your-own pace tour highlighting historic sites Indiana Landmarks helped save, including a repurposed opera house, historic dairy barn turned event center, and a formerly endangered c.1840 private home and bed-and-breakfast. Complimentary bites and refreshments offered at each stop from Noble County restaurants, bakeries, and cafes will keep you fueled throughout the day.

Featured Stops

Howard’s Opera House, Albion (tour check-in): Constructed in 1884, the Albion Opera House included commercial space on the first floor with a large public space on the second floor. Today, the restored site is home to Newman & Newman Law Offices after a partnership between Indiana Landmarks, the Albion STAR, and Courthouse Square Preservation Society saved it from demolition.
Sower House, Rome City: The Sower House, rescued from demolition and rehabbed by Indiana Landmarks and the Noble County Convention and Visitors Bureau through a partnership with the State of Indiana, retains all original woodwork and pocket doors from the 1880s, with a restored exterior. It will soon open as a General Store featuring Indiana-made goods, snacks for nearby trail users, and bike rentals, among other visitor services.
Wildflower Woods – Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site, Rome City: Gene Stratton-Porter—a noted author, conservationist, photographer, and illustrator—helped design “The Cabin at Wildflower Woods,” her home on Rome City’s Sylvan Lake, completed in 1914 and situated on 120 acres purchased with money from her writing royalties.
Sylvan Cellars, Rome City: Sylvan Cellars began life as a dairy barn for the adjacent Kneipp Springs Sanitarium and Convent. Beginning in 1901, Catholic nuns took over a health resort above Sylvan Lake, operating a spiritual health spa. The nuns sold the property in 1976, and its uncertain future landed it on Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered list in 2011. Rachel and Nathan Schermerhorn converted the former dairy barn in 2015, now an event center and tasting room.
Evers Plainview Farms, Wolcottville: Owned and operated by fifth, sixth, and seventh generation owners, the Evers family’s stewardship of the land and buildings making up their historic farmstead merited the 2023 John Arnold Award for Rural Preservation from Indiana Landmarks and Indiana Farm Bureau.
Wolcott House, Wolcottville: George Wolcott founded his namesake community after settling in the area with his wife, Margaret, in 1837, constructing his home along the Little Elkhart Creek c. 1840. Indiana Landmarks and the LaGrange County Community Foundation rescued the deteriorated property, now restored and operated by Dan and Anna Kragt as their home with an attached bed-and-breakfast.

Featured food and beverages along the way include sweet and savory selections from Albion’s Fox Den Catering, Ligonier’s Grounded Coffee House, Kendallville’s Whatchamacakes, Shipshewana’s Yoder Meat & Cheese and Heritage Ridge Creamery, Middlebury’s Rise’n Roll Bakery and Country Lane Bake Shop, and Miller’s Grocery of Rome City and LaGrange.

Sponsored by Indiana Landmarks and Noble County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

TICKETS

Tickets cost $35/general public and $30/Indiana Landmarks member. Purchase tickets using the form below, by visiting NobleCountyRamble24.eventbrite.com, or by calling 317-639-4534 or 800-450-4534.

Check in at Everett and Everett Law Offices, 107 W. Jefferson, Albion, for map and tour program any time between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Visiting all six sites, depending on how much time you spend at each, will take approximately 2 hours. Tour sites close to visitors at 3 p.m. Street parking is available at all locations, and local food offerings will be available at each site. Not all sites are fully accessible due to stairs to sites and inside structures.

Want to do more?

Learn more about overnight accommodations, attractions, and places to eat in the area at visitnoblecounty.org.