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Greenfield
Greenfield Hancock County Courthouse, Greenfield, Ind.

Greenfield

Indiana, United States
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Article History

Greenfield, city, Hancock county, central Indiana, U.S., 14 miles (23 km) east of Indianapolis. Founded in 1828 as the county seat, it was incorporated in 1850 and was probably named for John Green, an early settler. Mainly residential, it has some light industries (automobile electronics, textiles, pharmaceuticals), and there are some adjoining farms producing tomatoes, soybeans, and wheat. Greenfield is mainly known, however, as the birthplace of the Hoosier dialect poet James Whitcomb Riley (1849–1916), and the Riley Home (1850) on Main Street is preserved as a memorial and museum. In his early years, Riley contributed literary pieces to the Greenfield Commercial and the Greenfield News. The city’s James Whitcomb Riley Memorial Park is crossed by Brandywine Creek, alongside which is the “Old Swimmin’ Hole” celebrated in Riley’s simple sentimental verses. Pop. (2000) 14,600; (2010) 20,602.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.