Have you ever wondered if the “Little Orphan Annie” was real? And if so,
where did the author who wrote about her live? Hi everyone, Ken here, welcome to This House
In 1849, James Whitcomb Riley was born into an affluent Indiana Family.
He grew up in a large house, fully embracing the newly emerging Midwestern lifestyle by spending
his days running around barefoot and finding creeks and ponds to swim in. While at home,
his mother would tell James, his sisters, and a little orphan named Annie, stories about goblins
and monsters who would snatch them up if they misbehaved. While these stories might have spurred
his interest in poetry, schooling was never a priority for him. By the time he had graduated
from the eighth grade, he was already 20 years old and knew nearly nothing of math nor grammar.
Nonetheless, he continued his pursuit of poetry, choosing to write in the same way he spoke.
And while his career was not an instant success, after years of working odd jobs, he finally
applied for a position at the Indianapolis Journal where he was able to write editorials and publish
some of his poems. It wasn’t long before Critics slammed him for ignoring proper punctuation and
grammatical rules, but the locals loved reading his poetry. He connected with the average person
in a way that no other authors of the times were. His work was full of dialect and improper English,
parroting the way Midwesterners spoke. He wanted to expand his reach and began submitting his
poems to larger, national publications, but he was constantly rejected. Starting in 1880,
he began a circuit of reading tours where he would travel around the Midwest reading his poetry, when
he arrived in Chicago, he drew the largest crowd the city had ever seen for a public reading event.
For the first time in his life, he was now able to earn a reliable income from his poetry alone.
He continued going on tour, giving lectures at Universities, writing a few books, and,
perhaps most popularly, a series of poems titled, “Little Orphant
Annie” based on the orphan girl he had grown up with.
By the late 1800s, he had written and published over 1,000 poems and his royalties began to stack
up, making him one of, if not the most financially successful poet of his day.
Before announcing his retirement, he purchased his childhood home and gifted it to his sisters.
Instead of purchasing a house for himself, he decided to rent a bedroom in the house of his
dear friends. He had never married nor had any children of his own,
so it was nice for him to have the company of friends in his retired years.
The all brick, Italianate residence in Indianapolis had been built in 1872.
though it had been updated several times over the years, it maintained an elegant,
daresay extravagant interior for a home of its size.
The parlor, with its extra high ceilings was elaborately hand stenciled with artisan
plasterwork coffering the ceilings. In the center of the room, a large crystal chandelier,
which originally ran on gas, had been updated to run on electric.
The library, with its half height bookcases
provided a comfortable space for James to read and write poetry.
And the dining room, with its elaborate wainscotting and built in hutch,
provided a perfectly elegant space for entertaining dinner parties with his guests.
Upstairs, his friends’ bedroom was furnished in traditional Victorian
era fashion with a was basin and boudoir.
While his own bedroom was considerably more modern with a dark stone fireplace and a
functioning sink in a time when indoor plumbing was still considerably rare.
In fact, the house collected rainwater which was stored in the attic and then
dispersed throughout the house to allow for functioning toilets and even a full bathroom.
James lived in the house for 23 years, and after both he and his friends had passed,
it was put on the market for sale with its furnishings included. In 1916, William Fortune,
a football player for the Michigan Wolverines purchased the house and lived in it as is. Just
5 years later, before he joined Chicago Cardinals to go pro, he conveyed the house to the James
Whitcomb Riley Memorial Association. Today, the house remains with much of it’s original interior,
save the kitchen, and is open to the public for tours as the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home.
Did you have a favorite room? Or maybe you have a favorite poem from this author? Either way,
let me know down below in the comments section. And while you’re there,
make sure to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an exciting episode of This House