Walking through Rome City today you wouldn’t realize that this used to be a popular resort town. The railroad used stop in town and carry visitors from bigger cities like Fort Wayne to enjoy the lake. People from all over would attend events like Chautauqua on Kerr Island where there were gardens, restaurants, auditoriums, and dance halls while staying at the four hotels in the city. Sylvan Lake (which is actually a reservoir) still anchors the town’s attractions, but the downtown on Front St is all but abandoned, there are no railroads to be seen, and Kerr Island is all private residences now. The “resort” portion has been lost to history, but it still remains a beautiful “town” where one could settle. There are still sites to see as we will be taking a look at in this edition of the blog, but first let’s go up to the smaller town of Wolcottville right north of Rome City to get a taste of one of Indiana’s best tenderloins.
The Tenderloin
The Twin 6 Restaurant is right on the northern boundary line of Noble County. Paying homage to Route 66 with its name, you don’t have to go out west to enjoy the feel of a roadside diner visited by road weary travelers. This place has been around since 1967 and is still cooking up homemade meals. One of its specialties is the fried and breaded tenderloin sandwich which did not disappoint. Its large size and thick pork made this an Indiana classic. Prepared fresh, the crispy breading gave a nice crunch before sinking your teeth into that tender pork. I don’t think the people back in the day on Route 66 had a sandwich like this while traveling the country, or else the tenderloin would be a national treat rather than just an Indiana one. The restaurant has a bar side too, so you could sit up there and converse with others and share stories of their own travels. It is so fitting that when creating a Noble County Tenderloin Trail, we get a great diner that honors one of America’s most popular and historic trail.
The Town
Gene Stratton-Porter was a naturalist, writer, and movie producer who had built a home right in Rome City on Sylvan Lake. She had gained celebrity status with her novels and built the Wildflower Woods Cabin when her property by the Lumberlost Swamp near Geneva, IN was being destroyed by commercial development. On the property you can tour the cabin, her gardens, and walk the trails while learning more about Gene’s life and ecology of Indiana. The cabin is filled with her drawings and photography. You can also gaze upon appliances and decor from what homes were like in the early 20th century. Make sure to stop by the gift shop and pick up a novel. I’ve started reading, “Freckles”, and the 120 year old novel is still entertaining and interesting in this day-in-age.
The Sylvan Shores Diner is a two story restaurant south of the main town. Although the building has been a host for other food places throughout the years, it is now covered in blue and rebranded with a lake house / beach feel. It serves up all of your breakfast and lunch favorites, including a burger branded - “The Sylvan”. I was up for that bacon & onion patty with cheese. I did substitute their signature sauce for just plain bbq, but it really satisfied my hunger for a quick lunch. Included were Tetris tater tots. I’ll admit that I put them together like a puzzle. And just like the real game, as I completed a row they were gone in a flash.
If you feel like having a scoop of ice cream you can head over to Sundaes on Sylvan right on the lake. Make sure to take a walk around the back and order from the window as you will not only be treated to flavorful treats, but have a beautiful view of the water to sit and enjoy. I got a scoop of “Wizards Brew” which at first thought it might be a coffee flavor. Turns out it was butter-beer with a butterscotch swirl though it, à la Harry Potter. It was pretty tasty and the view was nice too as I sat by that table by the lake.
So… you have an old giant barn in town that is listed on the 10 most endangered historical landmarks… what do you do? Well… you turn it into a bar, of course. The Sylvan Cellars Event Center & Tasting Room is really more than just a bar as it serves food as a restaurant and has an event center occupying the second floor. It has been beautifully restored to a modern facility while still retaining the charm of an old barn. The event center not only provides space for weddings and banquets, they consistently hold public events like live concerts. I stopped in to get a quick drink and ordered up one of their specialty Old Fashioned – The Coldbrew. This one was actually coffee flavored as it had Songbird Coffee Liqueur as well as Old Forester Bourbon. This place is really a gem in the heart of an old resort town and should help make the area more of a destination than a Route 66-like pass-through.
You may have noticed that giant lake if you pass through Rome City. Well… Sylvan Lake is not really a lake, but a reservoir with a dam. Back in the 1830’s canals were being built to provide faster and easier transportation between communities. A proposed canal was planned between Fort Wayne and Lake Michigan, so construction started on the earthen dam to create Sylvan Lake in order to store water to supply the canal. Railroads overtook the need for canals, so it was never built. The dam and reservoir stayed, though, and the settlement where the dam workers lived became Rome City. State Road 9 drives right over the dam when you come into town from the north. If you take a turn off to Sycamore Park you can walk to the concrete structure that controls the water flow into Spring Lake and the original tributary. That is not the dam though; the actual dam is the long earthen embankment that runs parallel to the road. It is a great sight to walk along the top and see a lake a few feet away and the plummeting land at a lower elevation at the other side.
Although the original allure of Rome City has long passed by, the area still remains an interesting and relaxing place to visit and live. You can get some good food and drink and even take in some historical lessons. Remember, also, to take a quick trip north to get one of Indiana’s classic tenderloins.
Just like the real Tetris. Those completed lines disappeared quick.
by Michael Tomko
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