Hopewell Methodist Episcopal Church

Geneva Grace Stratton was born on August 17, 1863, about 0.5 miles from the still-standing Hopewell Methodist Episcopal Church, located in rural northeastern Indiana. As Gene Stratton-Porter, she went on to publish 26 books, eight of which were made into movies, including Laddie, a novel based on the Hopewell community and her brother Leander, whom she called "Laddie." The book, published in 1913, was adapted into films in 1926, 1935, and 1940.

Mrs. Stratton-Porter is one of Indiana's most prominent authors and was also a noted naturalist and film producer. She died on December 8, 1924, in Glendale, California. Her writing, movies, and adult life are stories for another day; this entry focuses on her early years, Hopewell, and Laddie.

The Mark and Mary Stratton family moved from Ohio to the Wabash County, Indiana, area in 1838. In the mid-1840s, they settled on their Hopewell farm. Gene was the youngest of 12 children, and her early days were spent wandering around the farm, learning about nature, with a special interest in birds. When a sister and Leander died in 1872, the family was hit hard, as Leander had been his father's main helper on the farm. In 1874 or 1875, the family left Hopewell and moved into the nearby town of Lagro, where they lived with a married daughter. After her mother, Mary, died in 1875, the remaining family moved frequently. Gene, who had dropped out of high school, was 20 years old when she met Charles Darwin Porter, and they married in 1886.

The 1926 film version of Laddie followed a classic storyline: a boy meets a girl, the girl's father looks down on the boy and his family, but the boy proves himself, and the father ultimately accepts him. And all lived happily ever after. Mrs. Stratton-Porter, who had died in 1924, received a credit in the film as "Little Sister."

The church was built in 1872 on land donated by Gene's father and now functions as The Antique Boutique at Hopewell for occasional sales and events. There is a small pull-off area in front of the church. The cemetery contains approximately 1,093 burials, including those of the Strattons—namely Gene's mother, father, Leander, and other family members. Interestingly, there is a Porter family plot directly behind the Stratton markers. This appears to be an unrelated Porter family.