Side A: The museum of the Mercer County Historical Society, the Riley Home represents six generations of the Riley family in the county. The first Riley to arrive here was Captain James Riley, who surveyed the area in 1819, after it was opened to American settlement following the Treaty of Saint Marys in 1818. Captain Riley was elected to the Ohio General Assembly in 1823. Captain Riley’s son, James Watson Riley platted Celina in 1834, was Mercer County’s Clerk of Courts, and then represented the area in the Ohio General Assembly beginning in 1843. (Continued on other side.)
Side B: (Continued from other side) James Watson Riley’s son Calvin began the family’s involvement in banking and built the Riley Home in 1896. Following Calvin into the leadership of the Commercial Bank was his son Ashley, grandson Roscoe, and great-grandson David K. Riley. James Zura Riley, another of Calvin’s sons, led an expedition to Alaska during the gold rush of 1898 – 1900. James Zura’s daughter Lena, who died in 1974, was the last Riley to live in the house. The county historical society obtained the residence in 1975 and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Sponsors: Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, Mercer County Historical Society, and The Ohio Historical Society
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