Adams County Indiana

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Adams County Indiana was formed in 1836 & named for President John Quincy Adams. Over 18% of the county's population are Amish. These are Swiss Amish & are slightly more conservative than other Amish. The most obvious way of idetifying Swiss Amish is by their buggies, which are open-topped. U.S. Highway 27 runs north & south, roughly bisecting the county. There is a road about a mile east that is sometimes referred to as the "Amish Turnpike." The Amish prefer to take their buggies on it rather U.S. 27 with its faster and heavier traffic. Please note that Amish do not like to be photographed, although they do not mind if you photograph their equipment.

Since the county has towns named Berne & Geneva, it isn't surprising that many of the early settlers were Swiss, especially in the southern part of the county. Present day residents keep that heritage alive with the Swiss Days festival held in Berne on the last Friday & Saturday of July. Also in Berne you can find the 26-acre Swiss Heritage Village & Museum.

One must see attraction is the Limberlost State Historic Site in Geneva. It was the home of Gene Stratton-Porter, a popular author & nature photographer in the early 1900s. Her most popular novel was A Girl of the Limberlost. Limberlost was the name of a large swamp south of Geneva. Gene (Her first name was actually "Geneva") loved wildlife, and spent much time in the swamp. When it was drained, Gene & her husband moved to Rome City, Indiana. Other notable people who were born in Adams county include Richard Schrock who was awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize in organic chemistry, and David Anspaugh, who directed the movies Hoosiers and Rudy.