Where in the World is Edgar Whitcomb?

When in Rome (Ind.), do as Edgar Whitcomb does…

I enjoyed this article about one of our living former governors. After serving as governor from 1969 to 1973, Whitcomb has found peace outside of politics and now can be found basking in the serenity of southern Indiana.

Whitcomb’s house in Rome is a mid-19th-century roadhouse that was in gross disrepair until last year when he hired an Amish family to restore it.

Rome’s history is similar to Whitcomb’s in that it started ambitiously — they named the place Rome, after all, and made it the Perry County seat. Rome stayed small, though. The county seat was moved to Cannellton in 1859 and finally to Tell City.

Whitcomb also spends time at his cabin a few miles outside Rome on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River. The nearest neighbor is 2 miles away. A good bit of the mile-long driveway doubles as a creek bed, rocky and uneven.