Day 6, An Indiana Illiad (Danville, IL to Grand Rapids, MI) (6/17/18)

Hello again everyone!

Thankfully, today was a little less strenuous than yesterday. We visited both the Benjamin Harrison Home and Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis!

So, without further ado, allow me to illuminate!

Our trip to Indianapolis and Indiana was relatively uneventful. Danville was only a mile from the border of Indiana, and it was only about an hour drive to the capitol.

As we entered Indianapolis soon enough, we saw this sign.

While we could not pass by the Indy 500 racetrack, it was still pretty thrilling to see this on the roads.

This popular fast-food chain, White Castle, is supposedly the Whataburger of the North. They sell these very small burgers named “Sliders”, and my dad and I got two each. It was good, but definitely no Whataburger… I digress.

And this is the Indianapolis skyline! Took me a few attempts to get it, but hey, it worked!

We turned off the highway, went down a block or two, and there we found it!

Benjamin Harrison Home Historic Site

Before the house was built, the lot was purchased by the Harrisons, and the house built by 1874. Very typical of victorian style houses, the house cost what in today’s money would be considered in the millions. The Harrisons after all, were descended from one of the oldest and most prominent families in Virginia.

That’s me on the steps by the way, wearing my TLU shirt.

This house had nearly five or six plaques attached to it, three more on the walls. I think there’s a bit of pride for Harrison here, and for his wife Caroline.

After getting tickets at the visitor center, we hurried around to enter the house immediately.

This house was much different from any of the houses that we’ve seen so far on this trip, in that its very decorated, ornate, and signs of wealth (whether thats a bad thing, or if it is refreshing to see something new, I can’t tell). This is the Front Parlor by the way, where guests were received. Almost all of the furniture and decorations in here (including the rug), were original.

And this is the back parlor, where the family often met. That man in the portrait on the left is William Henry Harrison, Benjamin’s grandson, and 9th President of the United States. It was he that served as President for only a month before dropping dead… poor guy.

Nearby was also a picture of Benjamin Harrison V (Benjamin Harrison’s great grandfather), who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Tells you a bit of the heritage and background that he came from doesn’t it?

This intricate music box, called a Regina-phone, is much like one of those little wind-up music box toys, but produces sounds based on their position on a bent copper plate. How it’s made, I’ve no idea, but when our guide turned the crank, it produced the most beautiful melody that lasted nearly for a whole minute… I officially want one. (Im just kidding of course, but still, its fantastic).

And this beautiful dining room was where the Harrisons would eat. Some of his favorite foods were oysters, green beans, and especially buttered corn…. i’d vote for him.

Victorian meals back in the day could have lasted for two or three hours, and have several courses to them… and every tiny thing, including pieces of silverware, had to be according to the highly valued “etiquette.”

Caroline Harrison was also, apparently, a China Painting enthusiast, and it was she that started the White House’s collection of China pieces. Several pieces were on display throughout the house.

The Kitchen here was especially advanced for its time, as there was not only a timer on the stove over there, but there was an ice box, a large and small butter churner, and a cabinet on the right side of the first picture that could store things, while also being a working space. After Harrison’s death, this place temporarily became a Girl’s Dormitory.

The rooms towards the back of the house contained offices and storage items.

This was Harrison’s office, and sometimes said to be the President’s favorite room. It had many of Benjamin Harrisons belongings, along with many gifts, including…

The bible he was sworn on during his inauguration…

A decent collection of walking canes and a chair of furs and Longhorn horns from a friend in Texas….

A bookcase made by a german carver as thanks for Harrison’s serving in the Civil War…

And this famous centennial cane given to him at his inauguration.  Interestingly enough, Benjamin Harrison was sworn in on the same day that George Washington was exactly 100 years ago. All the faces of the 23 Presidents leading up to Benjamin Harrison are inscribed on the cane, if you look closely.

Lets head upstairs! Already, more of this house is open to us than any others we’ve visited so far.

This was the room of Mr. Harrison’s son, Russel. That portrait is him of course, and that crib has been used since Russel’s father and grandfather were little.

Here’s one of the oldest artifacts in the house, a campaign plate of Harrison’s grandfather, William Henry Harrison! or as he’s called here, General W.H. Harrison.

This is the room of Mary, Mr. Harrison’s daughter. And that of course, is one of her dresses.

This was the master bedroom, where Mr. and Mrs. Harrison slept…

This bed was also where he died… sends a few chills through you…

Harrison, despite being deemed, “The Human Ice-burg” because of his icy demeanor, regularly exercised, with equipment such as these.

Some of Caroline’s personal effects. Look at those toiletry items… I’ve never seen something so decorated with such craft. Look closer!

This room was dedicated to Elizabeth, daughter of Mr. Harrison and his second wife, Mary Scott. After Caroline died, Harrison married Mary, causing shock throughout the family, as Mary was his wife’s sister’s daughter. As you can imagine, both his children were revolted, and distanced themselves from him, and in turn, Harrison left them out of his will.

Both Harrison’s army uniform and his hat were on display here. It’s amazing how much it is still preserved.

Soon enough, we left the Home, and headed to our next stop… one of the largest cemeteries in the entire country…

Crown Hill Cemetery

While not as big as Arlington National Cemetery, Crown Hill is still gigantic, a whopping 300 acres of dense burial plots. It was certainly a beautiful one, and our first sign, was the entrance.

This is just gorgeous.

And gigantic!

And busy too come to think of it… we spent several minutes trying to get these pictures right thanks to vehicles going in and out.

Now to refresh your memory on some of the most famous internments that I mentioned a while back, here they are.

-Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of the United States.

-Charles W. Fairbanks, Vice President to Theodore Roosevelt

-Thomas A. Hendricks, Vice President to Grover Cleveland

-Thomas R. Marshall, Vice President to Woodrow Wilson

-John Dillinger, Infamous gangster

We sadly didn’t get to see either Marshall or Dillinger, as they were too out of our way. This was a place that you could spend hours at a time, but as our schedule was pressing, our top priority was Harrison.

This place is just thick with gravesites! And this only a small portion of the entire place!

Driving by, we came across the grave of VP Fairbanks, so I got out and snapped this quick picture. While that as certainly a surprise, I looked directly the street and saw…

The grave of VP Hendricks as well!

Seriously though, what are the odds that they are yards apart from one another? This was certainly something unexpected.

Eventually however, we found our quarry, and down the path we went…

Rather simple when you think about it. As dad noted, its interesting to discover that Lincoln came from humble beginnings but got a grand tomb, but Harrison came from grand beginnings, but found a humble gravesite. What does that mean?

As you’ve noticed, the green parts in front of the memorial are the actual resting places. Here, Benjamin Harrison, both his wives Caroline and Mary Ann, and his son Russel are buried.

I tried to get a better view of the actual headstone, but the picture turned out sideways. I’ll provide a non-trip one again.

Obviously thats during a different season.

Me paying my respects.

We left the plot, but before we went, we climbed to “The Crown”, the tallest point in the cemetery, and it’s namesake.

Looking down from the hill.

Looking up towards the top.

We climbed up to the top, and saw this beautiful view…

The skyline of Downtown Indianapolis. It’s certainly a breathtaking view.

 

 

And so, we climbed back down, and continued on our way north, towards Michigan, and Grand Rapids.

Traveling further north, we reached the town of South Bend in Indiana, home to Notre Dame University. Naturally, my dad was ecstatic to see the campus, so we did a bit of sightseeing.

I wonder if that’s real gold?

Without a doubt, it was one of the most beautiful colleges I had ever seen. How do they keep those flowers lush? It is such a clean campus, and the architecture is truly beautiful.  I can see why it’s one of the most expensive places to go to college.

 

 

Now, we are currently in Michigan, where we will be driving towards Grand Rapids to see the Gerald Ford Museum tomorrow! Yet another fun day awaits.

Seeing as how there wasn’t as much content in today’s post, I think I’ll post a list of all the Presidential Libraries (the main 13) and presidential grave-sites I’ve seen so far, including those outside of the trip.

To begin, lets list the Main 13 Presidential Libraries, and their locations. Green ones I’ve visited, and Red ones I still need to see.

Please note, that the Gerald Ford Library and Museum is split up into two separate facilities.

-Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum:  West Branch, Iowa 

-Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum: Hyde Park, New York

-Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum: Independence, Missouri

-Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Center: Abilene, Kansas

-John F. Kennedy Presidential Library: Boston, Massachusetts

-Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library: Austin, Texas

-Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum: Yorba Linda, California

–Gerald Ford Presidential Museum: Grand Rapids, Michigan

-Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library: Ann Arbor, Michigan

-Jimmy Carter Presidential Library: Atlanta, Georgia

-Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum: Simi Valley, California

-George H.W. Bush Presidential Library: College Station, Texas

-William J. Clinton Presidential Library: Little Rock, Arkansas

-George W. Bush Presidential Center: Dallas, Texas

So far, I have seen 8 out of 13 of the Libraries, with 5 left to be seen.

And now for Gravesites, and THEIR locations!t I’ll only use Green or Red to signify each gravesite’s current status, with the same color code as before.

1.George Washington: Washington Family Tomb at Mount Vernon (Fairfax County, Virginia)

2.John Adams : United First Parish Church (Quincy, Massachusetts)

3.Thomas Jefferson: Monticello Graveyard at Monticello (Charlottesville, Virginia)

4.James Madison : James Madison Cemetery at Montpelier (Orange, Virginia)

5.James Monroe : James Monroe Tomb at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia)

6.John Quincy Adams : United First Parish Church (Quincy, Massachusetts)

7.Andrew Jackson : The Hermitage (Nashville, Tennessee)

8.Martin Van Buren : Kinderhook Reformed Church Cemetery (Kinderhook, New York)

9.William Henry Harrison : William Henry Harrison State Memorial (North Bend, Ohio)

10.John Tyler : Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia)

11.James K. Polk : Tennessee State Capital Grounds (Nashville, Tennessee)

12.Zachary Taylor : Zachary Taylor National Cemetery (Louisville, Kentucky)

13.Millard Fillmore : Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo, New York)

14.Franklin Pierce : Old North Cemetery (Concord, New Hampshire)

15.James Buchanan : Woodward Hill Cemetery (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)

16.Abraham Lincoln : Lincoln Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery (Springfield, Illinois)

17.Andrew Johnson : Andrew Johnson National Cemetery (Greenville, Tennessee)

18.Ulysses S. Grant : General Grant National Memorial (New York City, New York)

19.Rutherford B. Hayes : Rutherford B. Hayes’s Spiegel Grove (Fremont, Ohio)

20.James A. Garfield : Garfield Tomb at Lakeview Cemetery (Cleveland, Ohio)

21.Chester A. Arthur : Albany Rural Cemetery (Menands, New York)

22 and 24. Grover Cleveland : Princeton Cemetery (Princeton, New Jersey)

23.Benjamin Harrison : Crown Hill Cemetery (Indianapolis, Indiana)

25.William McKinley : William McKinley Memorial (Canton, Ohio)

26.Theodore Roosevelt : Youngs Memorial Cemetery (Oyster Bay, New York)

27.William Howard Taft : Arlington National Cemetery (Arlington, Virginia)

28.Woodrow Wilson : Washington National Cathedral (Washington D.C.)

29.Warren G. Harding : Harding Tomb (Marion, Ohio)

30.Calvin Coolidge : Plymouth Notch Cemetery (Plymouth, Vermont)

31.Herbert Hoover : Herbert Hoover National Historic Site (West Branch, Iowa)

32.Franklin D. Roosevelt : Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site (Hyde Park, New York)

33.Harry S. Truman: Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum (Independence, Missouri)

34.Dwight D. Eisenhower: Place of Meditation at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Center (Abilene, Kansas)

35.John F. Kennedy : Kennedy Gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery (Arlington, Virginia)

36.Lyndon B. Johnson : Johnson Family Cemetery at LBJ National Historic Site (Stonewall, Texas)

37. Richard Nixon : Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum (Yorba Linda, California)

38.Gerald Ford : Gerald Ford Museum (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

40. Ronald Reagan: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum)

In a total of 38 Gravesites, I have seen 13 so far, with 25 left to go.

Of course, many more of these will be knocked out, and I’ll probably provide another grand total at the very end of the trip.

Hoping you all are well, Take care!