The next stop on our tour is the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home, across the street at 528 Lockerbie St.
Famous Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley lived the last 23 years of his life here, as a paying guest of Major and Mrs. Charles Holstein, the home’s original owners. The Italianate home was built in 1872.
Riley passed away in 1916, and later that year, Mrs. Holstein also died, willing the “household goods” to her housekeeper, Miss Katie Kindell. A group of Riley’s friends, including famed author Booth Tarkington, subsequently purchased those goods from Miss Kindell and the house from the estate of Mrs. Holstein. In 1921, the James Whitcomb Riley Memorial Association (now the Riley Children’s Foundation) was formed, and the home was turned into a museum. When the museum first opened to the public, Miss Kindell served as its hostess. She passed away in 1939.
The home features authentic furnishings, ornate décor including beautifully painted ceilings, and many of Riley’s personal belongings, including a portrait of his beloved dog, Lockerbie; his top hat and cane; and the desk at which he wrote Little Orphan Annie and other famous poems.
The museum offers guided tours to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 3:30 p.m. (It’s closed Mondays, federal holidays, and for the first two weeks of January.) Admission is $3 for adults, $2.00 for seniors, $.50 for students ages 7-17, and free for children 6 and under.