More than a century after his untimely death, Otmer Adelbert Riley has become popular again  in Ripley, West Va., after a scrapbook filled with rich clues of his life was found in Brevard and returned to his hometown. 

The scrapbook was discovered in a trashbin at College Walk by sales director Diana Mashburn in 2001.  Its previous owners couldn't be identified, but she wanted to find the leather-bound, gold embossed trove of memorabilia a home. After a failed search for a Riley descendant living in Ripley, several attempts were made to locate a state historical society, or similar group to take possession of the scrapbook but to no avail. Thirteen years later she met Rebecca Suddeth, Executive Director of the Transylvania Heritage Museum.  "I said something like "Hey, I should show you this old scrapbook I have," Diana recalls. "Resourceful Rebecca was off and running. It was only then that the scrapbook began the last leg of its journey home."

On March 23, the two made the 363-mile trip to Ripley to formally present the artifact in a ceremony at the Jackson County Library.  "I always knew I would deliver the book to Ripley," Diana related. "I just did not know how, or when, or to whom."

The week following the presentation, Ripley librarian Dave Lemming reported that local historians were coming in to review the array of materials. "Otmer is very popular," he said.

No wonder. The outline of a colorful, adventurous, romantic, even perilous life is revealed in the scrapbook. Born in 1876, Otmer had died without heirs at the age of twenty-nine in 1906.   The scrapbook-a "selfie" of its time-provides a dot-to-dot of his life, from his days in the circus, as a musician in the Spanish-American War, as an actor, and as an itinerant and apparently skillful banker.  It even includes a sweet good-bye letter from, and invitation to the wedding of, the sweetheart he lost. His personal note above it reads: "This is what one would call a HEARTBREAKER."

The scrapbook also contains papers, letters, newspaper clippings and cards from Riley's many adventures in several localities in West Virginia. Multi-talented, mercurial and a man with an eye for the ladies, Otmer maintained his popularity until his mysterious death in 1906-headfirst in an icy creek after jumping from a moving train in a bout described as paranoia.

His madness, death and commentary on its cause are chronicled by whoever picked up the scrapbook and completed it. In its obituary, The Ripley Mountaineer, described Riley in a string of adjectives, among them "manly, intelligent, witty, and ambitious."

Local residents were thrilled with the return of a great piece of their history. 

"I want to thank Diana and Rebecca for bringing this wonderful scrapbook back to its roots,"  writes Maxine Landfried of the Jackson County Historical Society. "I will be reading the scans closely to ferret out more information about that time in our past."

In addition to the book, the Transylvania Heritage Museum provided digital images of the scrapbook pages as well as transcribed copies of several of the articles and letters contained inside.  

"I want to thank these ladies for making the trip here to bring Otmer home," reiterated Dave Lemming, Director of the Jackson County Library. "I hope they both left with the feeling that he has found a good home here with us, I know that he has gotten a good bit of attention so far."

"We are delighted that this scrapbook was found, saved, returned to Otmer's home," said Suddeth. "Being a part of bringing Otmer home to Ripley has been one of the most fulfilling projects I have ever undertaken, and I am pleased that Diana Mashburn allowed the Transylvania Heritage Museum to be a part of preserving his story."  ~article submitted by Jerry Brown, THM Board Member.

Otmer A. Riley October 24, 1976-February 16, 1906