Hello everybody!
Yesterday was quite a filled day, and a very fun one too!
We not only revisited the Garfield Home in Mentor, but we also travelled to Canton to witness the Mckinley Memorial/Museum, AND the Pro Football hall of Fame!
So, with a lot to talk about, lets get straight to the point! Here’s day 14 of our trip!
James A. Garfield National Historic Site
So after driving a short distance on Johnny Cake Road (sigh… who named this?), we arrived once more at the site.
There and Back Again!
So we came across the visitor center, and hopped in a tour just in time! We began the approach to the house…
This place is also under restoration it seems. Just to work on some old wood I think.
This front porch is very expansive… the perfect place for a campaign speech!
So, I gave one, just like Garfield did in 1880. Garfield was famous for his “front porch campaign”, where thousands would come to listen to him speak on his own front porch. Garfield campaigned more actively than did many of his predecessors.
And so, we entered the victorian house (named “Lawnfield”)!
The Garfields were not extravagant people, yet Lucretia Garfield was able to add 11 rooms to the original house despite financial troubles (how that happened, I’ve no clue).
Here is the parlor. If Garfield loved one thing, it was books! He had such a thirst for knowledge, which probably contributed to becoming a Professor of Ancient Languages 2 years into his college years.
And in the second picture, you can see a small piano, which Mollie, Garfield’s daughter, loved to play. She received it for her 13th birthday.
This was Lucretia’s bedroom, which she lived in for a time after her husband’s death. As you can see with the portrait of the president above the fireplace, and the stained glass window, she deeply loved him, enough so that she wanted him to be the first thing she saw every time she got up from bed.
This is the dining room! Note all the lovely stained glass windows and mantle tiles.
Lucretia Garfield had an impressive collector of china pieces, such as the ones above that belonged to the family both in and outside the presidency.
The house literally became a living memorial to Garfield, thanks to his mourning wife. This portrait and flag on the landing commemorates his service as a Union General during the Civil War.
And this was the library! Lucretia Garfield continuously added her husband’s papers and documents here, and mementos of his life everywhere. Some say this was one of the first presidential libraries because of that, albeit not exactly in the same sense.
And why is that scarf hanging from the beam nearby the window? Because fashion.
This was actually Garfield’s old congressional desk! It appears that when the desks were being replaced with newer ones, each congressman was allowed to keep his own desk. So here is his.
This vault holds some of Garfield’s more prized items, such as his law books in the back. And that wreath on the shelf? It was a gift from Queen Victoria to pay tribute to the late president.
These are very nice rooms, but we didn’t reflect about them for too long. Many of these belonged to four of their five children (one died an infant).
This interesting set of all the presidents leading up to Garfield was a gift from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing! They were on good terms with Garfield.
This was Garfield’s “Snuggery”. Yes Snuggery. Apparently, it was the word for “Man-Cave” back in the day. He could spend hours in here just reading books, perhaps his favorite pastime.
Garfield was portrayed as an honest farmer and frontiersman, which definetly aided his image in sweeping the elections.
Garfield was beloved by both his family and his countrymen… if his life hadn’t been cut short, I wonder what would he have become?
This small house outside Lawnfield was the campaign office, where Garfield received the bulletin that he had won the White House. It was very dark inside, but nearly untouched.
We then headed back into the Museum, and looked around a bit.
Garfield was sworn in admist high hopes, and promised a reunified union.
This was the very book Garfield was sworn upon. We’ve seen quite a few of these bibles on the trip haven’t we?
Some of Garfield’s effects as a college professor. He meant business when it came to education and learning.
Hopefully, you can see through the reflections and see some of Garfield’s War items, such as his suit and merits.
Here’s a picture of Lawnfield back in Garfield’s day. The house was actually white, which then was painted to it’s usual colors based on Lucretia’s preferences.
Garfield’s inaugural speech. His vice president was Chester A. Arthur, the former Governor of New York and Port Administrator of New York City. This regional combo helped to balance the republican ticket on the 36th ballot at the 1880 Republican Convention. (The race deadlocked for hours…)
Unfortunately, just four months after he was sworn in, he was shot in a D.C. train station by Charles Guiteau. Garfield wore this hat when the event occured.
Garfield lasted for 11 painful weeks before finally passing away, his wife at his side. I’ve said a lot about this topic when discussing the Tomb back in Cleveland, but I will only say this. Garfield’s death would not be in vain, and many of his policies were enacted by his successors, along with the brief reunification of the Union, and the adoption of better medical procedures.
Stopping at the Gift Shop to get a souvenir pin, we travelled towards Canton, where our next adventure awaited us!
William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum / McKinley Memorial.
We arrived at Canton a couple of hours later. Making that turn, we came across a fantastic sight…
There it is! The McKinley Memorial! (By the way, this long green lawn you see before you used to be a reflecting pool, but due to poor maintenance and circulation, it was filled in).
That’s just gorgeous isn’t it?
The Memorial is the final resting place of the 25th President of the United States, but of course, due to our policy of saving the final resting place for last, we turned towards the Museum.
It seemed a very nice facility. How do they keep their flowers so bright?
And so, we entered, got the book an extra stamp (this library is not one of the Main 13 Libraries, but why not?), and explored the exhibits…
Sadly, to our disappointment, there wasn’t as much a focus on McKinley as there was a case of other libraries with their presidential namesakes. Still, the exhibits were interesting.
Another Regina-phone! This one kept sticking on a little knob though… i don’t think it is as well constructed as the one back in the Harrison House.
Some memorabilia depicting William and Ida McKinley, the temporary receiving vault (on the right) where he was buried, and the monument.
The McKinley House was host to McKinley’s front porch campaign, but sadly was converted into a hospital, and then torn down. The house is now lost to posterity…
The shirt on the bottom is the same one that President McKinley wore when he was shot. At first glance, one wouldn’t suspect it (I certainly didn’t).
And here is a replica of the gun that Leon Czolgosz (I had difficulty pronouncing it, it basically sounds like “sol-gosh”) used to fatally wound the president. McKinley could have possibly survived, had it not been for his development of Gangrene in his sewed up wound.
President McKinley made a very surprising comeback (We’ve been fortunate to run into this many presidents)! Actually, thats an animatronic, that with the press of a button, would relate stories and events in his and Ida’s lifetime.
A rocking chair belonging to the President. Probably one of the last pieces of furniture of the old house.
There were other exhibits present as well but most pertained to the history of Stark Country. We stopped to look at some of them, but ultimately, time pressed us on in order to finish what was left on the day’s itenerary.
And so, we began the ascent.
This is getting too exciting!
This is a gorgeous view of the lawn. This memorial was built on Monument Hill, which McKinley suggested that it be dedicated to Civil War Veterans. Considering that McKinley was a Major in the Union Army, that wish was somewhat fulfilled.
And here they were… in this double sarcophagi.
Of course, it was a few minutes of silence before we had the nerve to say our observations out loud.
Every small thing in the memorial has some form of symbolism. Someone did some real serious planning!
There’s a picture of the one-piece dome above. Note the stained glass window.
Something tells me that some people really idolized him!
Still though, you can’t forget that he was Canton’s native, and favorite son. This was only an ultimate tribute to someone who remained endeared in the hearts of his native Ohioans.
(Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll look up Ohioan to see if that is an actual word).
Behind the tombs were the crypts of both Katherine and Ida, the daughters of the president. Sadly, they both died very young.
This is a map of the entire site of the memorial and grounds. Notice how the formation is similar to that of a sword? That wasn’t by accident. The hilt (the memorial and the splitting paths) resembles McKinley’s military service, and the blade (the long lawn and driveway) resembles the power of the presidency that he used to great effect. Of course, back then, it was a reflecting pool, so it’s original intended effect is somewhat lost on us. Still, a neat story.
Natives of Canton also love to jog up and down the 106 steps of the monument for exercise! As you can see with these three joggers.
Well.. anyways… we had four hours left for one final attraction, so we went on to what would perhaps become my dad’s highlight on the entire trip.
Pro-Football Hall of Fame
While I myself am not a hardcore fan of football, the complex is still a one of a kind facility, with a research center, museum, and interactive exhibits.
A very curious telephone wire… being so near to the Pro-Football Hall of Fame, I can’t imagine what that is supposed to represent…
Here we go!
That’s the research center, where presumably, the entire history of Football stands as an archive to the trials and tribulations of every team and every game in professional playing.
That dome on the left is part of the museum! You’ll see later on.
I think that we need to go to the right.
I had no idea that the origins of the game were this far back! Look at that gear… can you imagine what it would have been made out of?
And this is why it was in Canton! I had no idea about this either. In fact, I had no idea about ANYTHING in here!
Jim Thorpe was a legend of early football, and deserves a fitting spot in the center of the exhibits. This is also by the way, where the football shaped room was that we saw outside.
That’s looking up from that point.
These following pictures have many jerseys and other relics that were common in the museum! While I certainly don’t know much about them, YOU might!
Enjoy 🙂
And then we came onto the gallery itself…
Since 1963, about 300 players have made it into this most exclusive club!
The scale is truly impressive, and impossible to capture fully in one pic.
Then of course, the Bombardii trophy, won by any victor of a championship.
One thing I liked about the museum was the emphasizing of virtues, such as teamwork and commitment. Similarly, it reminded us that we are playing our own game as we speak… the game that we call life. If we give it our all, then we will certainly have a great victory (and happiness) in our life. Striving for greatness is truly something that we call can benefit from.
Now, we are currently bedding down in Canton, anxious to return on the road in the morning. Today, we will visit Marion, Ohio, where we will see a couple of sites dedicated to President Warren G. Harding. Then, Back south towards Cincinnati, we will explore the William Howard Taft Site. And with luck, we will see the William Henry Harrison Memorial in nearby North Bend, Ohio!
All in all, if everything plays out according to plan, we will be in Louisville in Kentucky before the day is out!
Thanks for reading, see y’all again soon!
Mark's Historical Roadtrips! 