I was never much interested in history when I was a kid. Well, I did buy a book about Abraham Lincoln from Scholastic Books in the 4th grade, but other than that, history was boring. But now, as an adult in my middle years, I have become fascinated with history. I think a large part is due to the face that I have been listening to historical fiction lately. I spent several weeks reading the Gilbert Morris Appomattox Saga, which for those of you like me, who didn’t know anything about Appomattox, the stories take place before and during the Civil War. So when a friend of ours, Linda Hall, suggested that my husband, Bobby, and I join her and her husband, John, on a visit to the Rutherford B. Hayes Library and Museum in Fremont, Ohio, I was eager to go.
Rutherford B. Hayes was the 19th President of the United States of America. He served from March 4, 1877 to March 4, 1881. He was born in Delaware, Ohio, but ended up spending a lot of his life in Fremont, Ohio. In fact, part of the library and museum is the family home of the Hayes’, beginning with his Uncle Sardis Birchard, who built the original home he called Spiegel Grove. It was the family home until the 1960’s, when the family donated the home to the presidential library.
Rutherford B. Hayes was born 2 months after his father died. His mother, Sophia Birchard Hayes, relied heavily on her brother, Sardis, for assistance. Sardis became a father figure to Rutherford and his portrait hangs prominently in the foyer of the Hayes’ home. What I found fascinating was that most of the items that were in the home were original to the home, when Rutherford lived there. As our tour guide, Adam, lead us through each room, he pointed out photographs that were on easels that showed the rooms as they were in the late 1800’s. These were taken by a family friend. The rooms were restored to reflect that time frame, when the President and his wife, Lucy Webb Hayes, lived there. (Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to take pictures in the home, much to the chagrin of Bobby, who is this website’s official photographer and videographer.)
As we toured the home and learned more about the Hayes family, I really began to like Lucy. She was a hard worker. She would visit Rutherford at the Union army camps and tend to him and other wounded soldiers. She would even mend uniforms while she was there. She took her sewing machine with her, which now can be seen in the home. And she was very smart. She earned a college degree and was the first wife of a President who had graduated from college. In fact, she was the first “first lady” of the United States. This phrase was coined by President Hayes, when he would call her his “first lady.” The title stuck and has been used to refer to all the wives of presidents since that time.
President Hayes served in the military during the Civil War. He was appointed to a position in the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry and rose to the level of Brevet Brigadier General. I learned that brevet means he was awarded the title of Brigadier General because of gallantry and bravery he exhibited in the war. In fact, Hayes was wounded 5 times during the war.
Rutherford and Lucy had 8 children, 5 of which grew to adulthood. They had 7 boys and one girl, Fanny. She was her daddy’s little girl. This was evidenced throughout the home with paintings of her and pictures with her and the President.
When Rutherford was a boy the house at Speigel Grove was a two story brick mansion. Hayes expanded the home to include many more rooms to allow for entertainment of the friends he made during his years as a lawyer, soldier, senator, governor and President. Both he and Lucy enjoyed spending time with family and friends. Our guide explained while we were in the dining room, that a meal could last several hours. Between courses people would recite poetry, sing a song or tell a story. It was quite the event. The Hayes’ dining room could seat over 20 people at their table when extended out to full length.
We learned about the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of the President. We learned that the boys would slide down the grand staircase’s banister or drop baseballs from the top floor of mansion (approximately 4 flights) and if the boy at the bottom could catch it he made the baseball team. We learned that the Hayes’ enjoyed their pets and that they had plenty of dogs and cats. In fact, the picture taken in the dining room included the President and one of his cats, which can be seen sitting under his chair in the photo. Another tidbit about Lucy is that she is credited with bringing the first siamese cat to the United States. No wonder, I was drawn to her! She was obviously a cat lover like me!
The tour of the house lasted about an hour. Adam said it is usually 45 minutes, but probably because we asked a lot of questions, it took a little longer. Adam was a great tour guide. He really helped to bring out the personalities of the family members who had lived in the home over the years.
After we left the house, we went to the museum and library. It is all on the same ground of Spiegel Grove. The library was opened to the public in 1916. There are exhibits throughout that give more background into the life of Hayes as well as the political, social and economic climate of his time and beyond. Again, because the part of history that pulls me in is the stories of the people, I don’t remember many dates, but I do remember that the Hayes were happily married for 36 years.
The Library and Museum are open Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through December and Tuesday through Sunday, January through March. The tours in the home begin at 10 a.m. and run every hour until the last tour which begins at 4 p.m. The cost to view the museum and home is $20 for adults. However, discounts are offered for military members, senior citizens and AAA members. If you go, I would suggest starting your day earlier. We didn’t get there until 2:45. That did not give enough time to view the museum sufficiently. However, the admission tickets are good for two consecutive days. So if you are staying in the area, you can take two days to see everything.
