History of the Riley Tavern

The Riley Tavern has been standing since John E. Brown opened its doors as a general store in April of 1884 with living quarters on the 2nd floor. John sold all manner of goods from groceries to boots to sell to rural farmers and those stopping off by passenger train at the Riley Depot (now the Riley stop along the Military Ridge State Trail).

By the early 1900s, Riley was a bustling place with a post office, a dance hall/basketball court, a creamery, one colorful blacksmith, and four passenger trains coming through each day. Along the rail line stood a water stop for the steam engines at the time, as well as a stockyard for farmers sending their livestock to market in Chicago before Oscar Mayer came to Madison.

It wasn’t until 1950 that the general store became Riley Tavern. Since that time, the Riley Tavern has changed hands a few times but has become a beloved watering hole to cyclists, bikers, snowmobilers, day-trippers, bluegrass lovers, and locals!