Bronze James Whitcomb Riley sits on a bench in front of his boyhood home in Greenfield. He started out selling poems to newspapers, then worked for several and finally did reading tours around the state and across the country. His first illustrated children’s book, “Rhymes of Childhood,” sold millions of copies and made him wealthy.

By Rod King
Guest Columnist

Editor’s Note: Rod King is the author of a monthly column “Great Escapes” that will take readers to various locations throughout the country.

When driving along the 200 block of Main Street (U.S. 40) in Greenfield, you’ll come upon a man sitting on a bench in front of a white house.

On second glance, it’s not a man at all. It’s actually a life-size statue of famed Hoosier Poet James Whitcomb Riley sitting in front of his boyhood home.

Stop and get a selfie on the bench with him, read the historical marker and go inside the museum next door and sign up to tour the house.

James Riley’s father, Reuben, a skilled craftsman, built the home between 1850 and 1853. This spiral staircase is testament to his skill. He also made the furniture, tailored James’s clothes, was a lawyer, an officer in the Union Army and served in the Indiana House of Representatives.

The Rileys moved to Greenfield from Uniontown and lived in a log cabin on the property while his dad, Reuben, constructed the present house between 1850 and 1853.

The house is a testament to his craftsmanship. The circular staircase is an outstanding example of his skill. In addition, he made most of the furniture, was a Union officer during the Civil War and operated a law office out of his house for 10 years until it became overcrowded with their sixth child.

James, their third, was born Oct. 7, 1849. He was named after Indiana Governor James Whitcomb, whom his father became friends with while serving in the House of Representatives. His birth date is occasion for a festival every year during the first weekend of October. Theme for the 2022 event is “Little Orphant Annie,” which was one of his poems.

His father always harped on having a skill and warned him that he’d not be able to make a living with words. Riley tried working in a shoe store, selling Bibles, sign painting and even spent a couple of years selling snake oil for a traveling medicine show.

His mother home-schooled the children and encouraged him to follow the arts. She taught him to play piano and organ and he picked up the banjo, lute, guitar, hammered dulcimer and violin on his own. He wanted to be a violinist, but after catching his thumb in a door he was never able to hold the bow properly. Riley organized and played in the Adelphian Band.
Poetry, however, was his true love. He formulated his own brand of down-home dialect to infuse life into the characters in his

All six Riley infants slept in this cradle made by their father.

poems. “Little Orphant Annie,” “The Raggedy Man” and “Out to Old Aunt Mary’s” were about real people. “When the Frost is on the Punkin” and “The Old Swimming Hole” poems focused on simpler times and country living.

He began his road to fame by submitting poems to newspapers, and after receiving an endorsement from poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow he worked at several newspapers in the late 1870s. He took his poems to the public via reading tours throughout the Midwest and later across the country.

By the 1890s he was a bestselling author with an illustrated children’s book entitled “Rhymes of Childhood.” It became extremely popular, sold millions of copies and made Riley a wealthy man.

Riley made a promise to his mother after the family home was lost to taxes in 1870 that he would someday buy the house back. He did just that in 1893 and visited often from Indianapolis where he lived. The house is open April through October. Adult tours are $4 and seniors, $3.50.

Take I-69 to Exit 222 (SR 9) and follow it into Greenfield. U.S. 40 (Main Street) goes right past the Riley Boyhood home on the north side of the street. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call (317) 462-8539 or visit at rileymuseumhome.org.