Fewell smMayor
Chuck Fewell

Lizabuth Ann's Kitchen

Have you ever noticed that some of the best conversations, gatherings, and times are had in a kitchen? There is something about the thought of a kitchen,
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where care and love is poured into the making of daily food that invokes an invitation to pull up a seat and stay a while. Our newly renovated event space named after a beloved literary character from James Whitcomb Riley’s poems captures that spirit with its carriage house style and charm.
When you host an event here, you are inviting your guests to enjoy a pioneer era property with beautiful gardens set in a historic downtown.
 
 
 
Included Features

Capacity for 50 People
Audio/Visual Equipment
Beautiful Gardens and Connected Walkways
Tables and Chairs
Access to a Warming Kitchen Area
Covered Porch
Restrooms
 
 
 
Facility Rentals
 
Kitchen Rental: $150/day Kitchen Only
Complex Rental: $200/day (includes Gazebo, Gardens, and ‘Lizabuth Ann’s Kitchen)
Damage Deposit: $100

(Deposits will be returned within a week of your event on the condition that the space was clean and in working order when you leave.)

To host your own event or meeting at the Riley Home, call 317-462-8539.
 
To visit the kitchen for reservations, or to see the space first hand, please contact the Museum staff. Lizabuth Ann's Kitchen is located behind the JW Riley Boyhood Home and Museum, 244 W. Main Street Greenfield IN 46140. 
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Views of the Kitchen Space
 
 
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Who was ‘Lizabuth Ann?

Like many of Riley’s characters, ‘Lizabuth Ann was a real person or a composite of people who worked in the Riley Household. Some characters can be tied directly to a person and full name, such as Little Orphant Annie stemming from Mary Alice Smith. While we don’t have a full name to tie beloved characters like ‘Lizabuth Ann, the Raggedy Man, and Aunt Mary to, we do know that they are based on people from Riley’s life.
 
‘Lizabuth Ann is is the name used when James Whitcomb Riley references the “Hired Girl” in his writings. Being a “Hired Girl” was one of the most common experiences for a young girl between 1870 and 1915. The position gave a young girl from the countryside a chance to move in to a larger city area and learn to manage her own household for later in life. It was an opportunity also to earn money to spend as she pleased. Daily tasks included cooking, washing dishes, and caring for young children, such as Mr. Riley during his childhood.
 
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James Whitcomb Riley, the Hoosier Poet, was born in Greenfield in 1849. A celebrity of his time through his poetry and writings in unique native dialect, he left a legacy for Greenfield that the Boyhood Home and Museum is proud to celebrate.

Contact the J. W. Riley Boyhood Home and Museum

Address: 250 West Main Street
Greenfield, Indiana 46140
Telephone: 317-462-8539

City Phone Directory

Mayor's Office - 317-477-4300
Clerk Treasurer - 317-477-4310
Utility Billing - 317-477-4330
Planning (Permits) - 317-477-4320
Street Department - 317-477-4380
Power and Light - 317-477-4370
Wastewater Department - 317-477-4360
Park Cemetery - 317-477-4387
Pothole Hotline - 317-325-1680
Parks and Recreation - 317-477-4340
Water Department - 317-477-4350
Animal Management - 317-477-4367