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For the former passenger train, see James Whitcomb Riley (passenger train). A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track ( Permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another The Cardinal is a 1147-mile (1844 km Passenger train route operated by Amtrak, connecting New York Penn Station with Chicago Union Station
James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley, c. 1913
Born October 7, 1849(1849-10-07)
Greenfield, Indiana, United States
Died July 22, 1916 (aged 66)
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Occupation Poet

James Whitcomb Riley (Greenfield, Indiana, October 7, 1849 - July 22, 1916) was an American writer and poet. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 1849 ( MDCCCXLIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Greenfield is a city in Hancock County, Indiana, United States. The State of Indiana ( was the 19th US state admitted into the union The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. Greenfield is a city in Hancock County, Indiana, United States. The State of Indiana ( was the 19th US state admitted into the union Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 1849 ( MDCCCXLIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" Known as the "Hoosier Poet" and the "Children's Poet," he started his career in 1875 writing newspaper verse in Indiana dialect for the Indianapolis Journal. Hoosier (ˈhuːʒɚ is the official Demonym for a resident of the U His verse tended to be humorous or sentimental, and of the approximately one-thousand poems that Riley published, over half are in dialect. Claiming that “simple sentiments that come from the heart” were the secret of his success, Riley satisfied the public with down-to-earth verse that was "heart high. " Although Riley was a bestselling author in the early 1900s and earned a steady income from royalties, he also traveled and gave public readings of his poetry. His favorite authors were Robert Burns and Charles Dickens, and Riley himself befriended bestselling Indiana authors such as Booth Tarkington, George Ade and Meredith Nicholson. Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796 (also known as Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, the Bard of Ayrshire Newton Booth Tarkington ( July 29, 1869, Indianapolis – May 19, 1946) was an American Novelist and Dramatist George Ade ( February 9, 1866 - May 16, 1944) was an American Writer, newspaper Columnist, and Playwright. Meredith Nicholson ( 9 December, 1866 – 22 December, 1947) was a best-selling Author from Indiana, a Politician Many of his works were illustrated by the popular illustrator Howard Chandler Christy. Howard Chandler Christy ( January 10, 1873 &mdash March 3, 1952) was an American artist famous for the "Christy Girl" similar to

Contents

Life

James Whitcomb Riley was born on October 7, 1849, in Greenfield, Indiana, to local attorney Reuben A. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 1849 ( MDCCCXLIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Greenfield is a city in Hancock County, Indiana, United States. Riley and his wife, Elizabeth (Marine) Riley, in a small cabin. His parents named him after James Whitcomb, the governor of Indiana. James Whitcomb ( December 1, 1795 &ndash October 4, 1852) was a Democrat United States Senator and Governor James Whitcomb Riley was their third child. On the same property he would live his childhood up to age 21. The Riley Birthplace and Museum, one of two homes called the James Whitcomb Riley House on the National Register of Historic Places, is located at 250 West Main Street Riley would be influenced by many of the visitors to his father's domicile. In particular, he was able to pick up the cadence and character of the dialect of central Indiana and the travelers along the old National Road, which came through in the many poems he would go on to write. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of US 40svg|right|100px|thumb|The National Road is now included as part of U One particular visitor was Mary Alice Smith, who would eventually stay to live with the Rileys. Mary Alice ("Allie") Smith would be the influence to Riley's poem, Little Orphant Annie, which was originally to be called Little Orphant Allie but a typesetter's error changed the name of the poem. " Little Orphant Annie " is a poem written by Hoosier Poet James Whitcomb Riley. Typesetting involves the presentation of textual material in graphic form on Paper or some other medium. [1]

Riley was never a great student. Before he dropped out of school at age sixteen, a former teacher encouraged him to appreciate nature. He attempted to study law in his father Reuben's office. Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society However, he found that the law was not for him, whereupon he took several different jobs in rapid succession. [2]

Riley had his first published poem in 1870, at age twenty-one. He would begin to start writing for several newspapers, eventually landing in Indianapolis, Indiana working for the Indianapolis Journal, writing miscellaneous articles, versifying whenever possible. A newspaper is a written Publication containing News, information and Advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called Newsprint. [3]

Riley's big break came with the private publishing of a thousand copies of The Old Swimmin' Hole and 'Leven More Poems in 1883 under the pseudonym of "Benjamin F. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) Johnson, of Boone". The book rapidly sold all of the first printing, causing Indianapolis book publisher Merrill, Meigs and Company to quickly contract with Riley to publish the second edition of The Old Swimmin' Hole and 'Leven More Poems. Riley would continue to work with the publishing company as it eventually became Bowen-Merrill and finally Bobbs-Merrill. The Bobbs-Merrill Company was a book Publisher located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 1886 publishing of The Boss Girl began a regular publishing of new Riley literature. This also led him to begin to regularly tour the United States giving lectures, starting in the mid-1880s. A lecture is an oral Presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject for example by a University or College [4]

In 1893 he was invited to live at the residence of Charles and Magdalena Holstein within the Indianapolis neighborhood of Lockerbie. The James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home, one of two homes known as the James Whitcomb Riley House on the National Register of Historic Places, is a historic building Lockerbie Square Historic District is a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places within Indianapolis Indiana, listed on February 23 He would call this his permanent residence for the last twenty-three years of his life, although he would eventually purchase his childhood home, and allow his brother, John Riley, to live within. [5]

Riley would remain in demand throughout his life, including the White House. See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 250-member organization whose goal is to "foster assist and sustain excellence" in American Literature, In 1912 the National Institute of Arts and Letters gave him the gold medal of poetry, the first poet so honored. The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 250-member organization whose goal is to "foster assist and sustain excellence" in American Literature, He also received several honorary degrees. [6]

Riley loved children, but he never had any of his own; he also never married. Evidence points that he regretted his bachelorhood and childlessness. Many believe that his poems about and for children were written due to this regret. Others attribute his poems to his regrets over alcoholism and his possible affliction with syphilis. Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions Syphilis is a Sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochetal Bacterium Treponema pallidum pallidum. [7]

Indiana honored Riley after his death in 1916 by burying him in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. There is also a locality '''Crown Hill''' Seattle Washington. The site of his grave is atop Strawberry Hill, the highest point in Indianapolis, offering a spectacular view of the city. Although Riley's poetry has fallen out of popularity, a few of his poems, such as Little Orphant Annie and Lockerbie Street, continue to be taught in schools in Indiana.

Legacy

In 1916 a group of prominent citizens from Indianapolis organized the Riley Memorial Association (now the Riley Children's Foundation) to build a children's hospital in memory of the Hoosier Poet. The James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children opened in 1924. The James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children is a Children's hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The foundation also purchased the poet's domicile in his later years in downtown Indianapolis; it is maintained as a museum and today, the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home is the only late-Victorian home in Indiana that is open to the public, and the country's only late-Victorian preservation, featuring authentic furniture and decor from that era. The James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home, one of two homes known as the James Whitcomb Riley House on the National Register of Historic Places, is a historic building His birthplace and boyhood home, now the James Whitcomb Riley House, is in nearby Greenfield, Indiana. The Riley Birthplace and Museum, one of two homes called the James Whitcomb Riley House on the National Register of Historic Places, is located at 250 West Main Street Greenfield is a city in Hancock County, Indiana, United States.

In 1950, the foundation organized Camp Riley a summer camp in south central Indiana for children with disabilities. Summer camp is a supervised Program for Children and/or Teenagers conducted (usually during the Summer Months in some countries The State of Indiana ( was the 19th US state admitted into the union Also in 1924, James Whitcomb Riley High School opened in South Bend, Indiana. Location James Whitcomb Riley High School is a Secondary school in South Bend Indiana. South Bend is a city on the St Joseph river and a twin city of Mishawaka Indiana. The State of Indiana ( was the 19th US state admitted into the union In 1950, there was a James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School in Hammond, Indiana, but it was torn down in 2006. Hammond (ˈhæmənd is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. (Its student body merged with Woodrow Wilson Elementary School to form Frank O'Bannon Elementary School. Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28 1856—February 3 1924 was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. Frank Lewis O'Bannon ( January 30, 1930 - September 13, 2003) was an American politician who was Governor of Indiana ) During its heyday, East Chicago, Indiana had a Riley School at one time, as did neighboring Gary, Indiana. East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana, opposite Chicago, Illinois.

In 1999, the Indiana University Press published the book James Whitcomb Riley: A Life authored by historian Elizabeth J. Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is a Publishing house at Indiana University that engages in Academic publishing, specializing Van Allen.

As a lasting tribute, the citizens of Greenfield hold a festival every year in Riley's honor. Taking place the first weekend of October, the Riley Festival traditionally commences with a flower parade in which local elementary school children place flowers around the statue of Riley on the county courthouse lawn, while the Greenfield-Central High School band plays lively music in honor of the poet. The larger Riley parade is on that Saturday and is a fall attraction. The Greenfield-Central High School band also holds their annual Riley Marching Festival on that same day.

A Liberty ship, commissioned April 23, 1942, was christened the SS James Whitcomb Riley. History and service In 1936 the American Merchant Marine Act was passed to subsidize the annual construction of 50 commercial merchant vessels to be used in wartime by Events 215 BC - A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It served with the United States Maritime Commission until scrapped in 1971. The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the US Federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, passed by Congress

Gallery

Tomb of James Whitcomb Riley at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis

Statue honoring James Whitcomb Riley on courthouse lawn in Greenfield, Indiana. Greenfield is a city in Hancock County, Indiana, United States. The State of Indiana ( was the 19th US state admitted into the union

"The Old Swimming Hole" that appears in Riley's poems is now a large and well-used park on the east side of Greenfield.

External links

References

  1. ^ Bodenhamer, David. Find A Grave is a Website allowing its users to access maintain and expand an online Database of Burial records The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis (Indiana University Press, 1994) pg. Indiana University, founded in 1820, is a nine-campus University system in the state of Indiana. 1195
  2. ^ Bodenhamer 1195
  3. ^ Bodenhamer 1195
  4. ^ Bodenhamer 1195
  5. ^ Bodenhamer 1195
  6. ^ Bodenhamer 1195
  7. ^ Bodenhamer 1196
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