Indiana highway named for James "Whitcome" Riley

As if he didn't have enough things named for him, the Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley now has a section of a Carroll County highway named for him. (However, the Indiana Department of Transporation misspelled his middle name,) From WLFI:

August 5, 2015

DELPHI, Ind. (WLFI) — A part of the Hoosier Heartland Highway in Carroll County is now named after a famous Indiana-born poet.

In a ceremony Wednesday, a stretch of the highway just north of Delphi was dedicated to James Whitcomb Riley. Riley was born in Greenfield, Indiana, in 1849 and lived most of his life in Indianapolis. He would often travel to Delphi for vacation, fell in love with the area and made it his second home.

Carroll County Historian Mark Allan Smith said when Riley wanted peace and quiet from the city he would head north to Delphi.

“I read he couldn’t stand Indianapolis very much. He couldn’t stand the heat, noise and all of the cacophony of Indianapolis. And every so often, he’d hop on a Monon passenger train and come to Delphi and Carroll County as a refuge,” said Smith. “It’s still here. The emphasis on the arts is still here. The nature is still here. Everything he was attracted to is still here.”

Riley was a frequent guest of the Delphi Opera House and held many friendships in the county.

As you might notice, the highway signs have the writer’s name misspelled as “Whitcome.” An Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman says this will be corrected as soon as possible.

Video at: http://wlfi.com/2015/08/05/carroll-county-highway-dedicated-to-hoosier-poet/