James A. Garfield National Historic Site

After we left Niagara we crossed back into New York and headed south.  We'd originally thought of driving across Ontario to go through Michigan, but I realized that I could cross off a couple National Parks in Ohio if we headed down along the southern shore of Lake Erie and then headed south through Ohio, so we went that way.

Our route took us right through Mentor, Ohio, north-east of Cleveland so we planned to stop at the former house of President James A. Garfield.

A front porch can serve many purposes. For some, a place to enjoy the breeze on a warm summer night. For others, a perch from which to keep eyes on what's happening in their neighborhood. In 1880, James Garfield used his front porch as a platform to greet thousands of well-wishers during his presidential campaign. Today, the porch serves as a gateway to the story of the Garfield family.
--from James. A. Garfield NHS website

The visitor center is located in a restored carriage house on the back of the property.

Ohio is justifiably proud of its presidential history as the state is has produced almost as many presidents as Virginia, trailing the Virginian total by only one.

Several historical markers are clustered together near the entrance to the visitor center.

His home was known as Lawfield due to reporters during the 1800 Presidential campaign.  More than just a house it was a farm property until it started to be sold off following the President's death.

The house is only open during tours (we ended up not taking one due to time and the kids) so everything starts in the visitor center.

The exhibits in the visitor center tell you quite a bit about Garfield's history.  Did you know he wanted to be a sailor?  The only work he could find on the water was on a canal boat and he fell into the water frequently and almost drowned, so he ended up returning home?

The kids don't enjoy artifact displays as much as I do, but I do enjoy pointing out different things for them to look at.

Garfield was one of many men to whom the Civil War was a great opportunity for something different that ended up aiding advancement in later life.

Here are a number of artifacts related to the 200 days of his presidency.

There were 38 states in the Union while he was president.

Garfield has the dubious honor of being the second American president to be assassinated.

The assassin, Charles J. Guiteau, is thought by many to have been mentally unbalanced.

A number of exhibits also explore Garfield's presidential campaign.

Outside are several buildings you can see while walking the grounds.  This is the gasholder building, located directly next to the old carriage house.
In 1885 workers discovered an abundant supply of natural gas at Lawnfield and built a stone-and-brick gasholder building...With this system, Lucretia Garfield owned her own gasworks for her household lighting, heating, and cooking fixtures.  Inside, a five-foot-deep metal storage tank held the natural gas until it was piped into the main house.
--from exhibit signage

The Garfield's property also had its own windmill which stretched 60 feet above the stone base.

Someday I'm sure we'll come back to the site with older kids and will take a tour of the main house.

Behind the house is the building that served as the campaign office for Garfield's presidential run.

You can still look through the windows of this former library.

The property also includes a number of picnic tables.

If you want to see some of the other photos that I took around the site you can find them in this album.

~Matt