For a Presidents nerd such as myself, Ohio is Presidents Mecca. Eight Presidents were either born in Ohio or lived there a substantial part of their lives. Between our 17th President Andrew Johnson and our 28th President Woodrow Wilson, every President was either from Ohio or New York. The Presidents with Ohio connections were (by number):
18. Ulysses S. Grant
25. William McKinley
I decided to tour as many sites as I could for a week in addition to attending the Dayton Book Expo. I made it to sites for each of these Presidents with the exception of Grant. Here are some pictures:
This is Rutherford B. Hayes’ home in Fremont, Ohio. It was called Spiegel Grove. They did not allow picture taking inside the house which was unfortunate because most of the furnishings are original from when Hayes and his family lived in the house. It started as a 4000 square foot house but eventually was 21,000 square feet. One of my favorite President homes ever.
President Hayes was buried a short walk from the house. Despite winning one of the most controversial elections in our history, he appears to have still enjoyed a reputation for high integrity. After he left office he and his wife continued to serve for many worthy causes. If he had lived a hundred years later he would have been known as a civil rights activist.
This was too good to resist, particularly for an old BP hand. Hayes’ birthplace in Delaware, Ohio hasn’t been given a real prominent display.
James Garfield’s home just outside of Cleveland in Mentor. They only give tours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays so I was only able to walk around the perimeter. Garfield was quite an orator so, even though it was still unseemly for a candidate to openly campaign to be President, Garfield gave a lot of speeches from this front porch in 1880. It was the first of a series of “Front Porch Campaigns” for the next several elections. Wouldn’t it be nice to just go to the candidate’s house and hear him or her speak? Would save a lot of money and a lot of grandstanding I suspect…
This is William McKinley’s tomb in Canton, Ohio. It is apparently the largest monument for any of our Presidents. I was very surprised by this one.
A bit about McKinley. By all accounts, a really decent guy. I visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame while I was in Canton as well. I really like football but did find it a little sad that mine was the only car in the parking lot at the McKinley Memorial but the Hall of Fame parking lot was packed.
McKinley was very devoted to his wife Ida who suffered from epilepsy. Legend has it that when she would have a seizure her husband would calmly throw a ‘kerchief over her head’ until the seizure abated. Sounded a bit cold to me but the contemporary accounts always seem to be touched by the whole display.
Warren G. Harding’s home in Marion, Ohio. It is closed for refurbishing but I braved the rain and cold to get this picture…just for you.
This is the monument to Harding in Marion. Again, I was surprised by the grandeur of this. Ohio makes a fuss over its Presidents.
Harding’s and his wife’s graves. He turned out to be less than savory in many ways so, again, I was surprised.
William Howard Taft’s childhood home in Cincinnati. They don’t have a lot of the original furnishings so I can’t say I recommend it highly. It may also have something to do with the fact that I managed to hit the house at the same time as a busload of senior citizens from upstate New York who were not nearly as curious about Taft as they were about where they were going to stop and eat next.
Taft is a favorite of mine. He was the only man to serve as President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. If that didn’t make his Mama proud, she was a hard woman. I liked this early time lapse sequence of him finding out he had been nominated to run for President.
William Henry Harrison’s tomb at North Bend, Ohio. You will recall that Harrison died after only a month in office. This site is way out of the way but it’s a lovely spot.
I thought the entrance to the tomb was cool.
I find it amazing when one of the 44 people who have held our highest office is tucked away in a tomb that you really have to be looking for to find.
The view from Harrison’s tomb. This is standing in Ohio looking across the river at Kentucky. It reminded me of Alexis de Tocqueville’s vivid description of the stark contrast between free Ohio and slaveholding Kentucky during the 1840s. The passage is quoted in Part IV, Chapter 1 of A Presidents Story. Read it again—I think it’s one of the best arguments ever against slavery.
Finally, I visited Benjamin Harrison’s house in Indianapolis. Even though he was born and raised in Ohio, the 23rd President became a Hoosier. He was the grandson of William Henry Harrison.
Harrison collected canes. Apparently, they were considered quite a fashion accessory in the late 19th century, whether you needed one or not.
A local whittler made Harrison a cane with the face and name of every President that preceded Harrison carved into it. I wanted it.
Harrison’s home is another hidden treasure. The majority of the items in the house belonged to the Harrison family. This is the bed where both he and his first wife Caroline died. The guide said that Caroline died while Harrison was running for reelection in 1892. After she died, he suspended his campaign. Remarkably, his opponent Grover Cleveland suspended his campaign as well to show his respect for the First Lady. One of those “oh for the good old days” moments.
Harrison had an outstanding reputation in Indianapolis that was only tarnished late in life when he remarried. This is his second wife. It’s also his first wife Caroline’s sister’s daughter or, in other words, his niece. That was a bit creepy to me.
My last stop was to visit the cemetery in Indianapolis where President Harrison is buried. His first wife is on one side, his second wife (and niece) is on the other. Might be an awkward afterlife.