The James A. Garfield National Historic Site

In September of 2017, while I was in Cleveland attending a conference, I found myself with a free afternoon. I decided to take a drive 30 miles or so to the east to Mentor, Ohio, where I paid a visit on the James A. Garfield National Historic Site. Located at 8095 Mentor Avenue, it was once the site of the Garfield family farm known as Lawnfield. For the reasonable price of $7 I was able to join a tour of the Garfield Home, some of which I will give you a glimpse of (behind the cut below). I was also able to watch a short film on Garfield's life before leaving on the tour. The Rangers and volunteer staff at the site are very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.

When he was a Congressman, Garfield bought the home in 1876, which he became known as Lawnfield. He would spend his summers there when Congress was in recess. When Garfield ran for President in 1880, he conducted what is considered to be the first successful front porch campaign, as candidate Garfield spoke to large crowds from the home's front porch. That same year, Garfield had 11 rooms added to the building to accommodate his large family. Garfield was inaugurated as President on March 4, 1881. He was shot by Charles Guiteau on July 2, 1881 and died on September 19, 1881. Four years after his assassination, Mrs. Garfield and her family added the Memorial Library wing, setting the precedent for future presidential libraries.

Lucretia Garfield lived in the house for part of each year until her death in 1918. Her brother, Joseph Rudolph, lived there until he died in 1934. In 1936, Garfield's children donated the house and its contents to the Western Reserve Historical Society for use as a museum and on December 28, 1980, the United States Congress declared the Garfield home a National Historic Site. The site was operated by the National Park Service with the Western Reserve Historical Society until January 2008, at which time the WRHS transferred the site's land, buildings and operation to the National Park Service.

In the 1990s, a $12.5 million, six-year restoration of the Garfield house took place. The house was redecorated with authentic furniture and household items from the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Garfield Historical Site is considered to be one of the most accurately restored and highly detailed of the 19th-century U.S. presidential sites. Over 80% of its antique Victorian furniture was owned by the Garfield family. Ten wallpapers were also reproduced from photographs. In one room the wallpaper was installed upside down because that's how it was originally installed.

Here is some of the sights I saw.



1-2. Some signage and other markers near the entrance to the registration and gift shop location.





3-4. The theatre in which the short film is shown is decorated with these life-sized cutout Presidents.





5. A museum next to the theatre has his depiction of a dying President Garfield being tended to by his wife Lucretia.



6. A museum display of Garfield's civil war career.



7-8. A special mattress made for a dying President intended for travel by ship and possibly by train.





9. As was the custom at the time, a bronze "death mask" was made of Garfield, as well as one of his hand.



10-11. The famed front porch of the house from which Garfield made his election speeches in the 1880 campaign.





12-13. Some pictures of the parlor of the home, complete with its two-pedal piano.





14-15. The bedroom behind the parlor, which was occupied by Garfield's mother. It contains a stained-glass image of Garfield that was a gift to her from the members of Congress.





16. This is the dining room of the home.



17. A portrait of Garfield in his Union officer's uniform.



18-22. Garfield was a prolific reader and had an impressive collection of books on a multitude of subjects. He was a real renaissance man. His library was a most impressive room. It included this large hinged storage desk on wheels with over a hundred compartments for filing things.











23-24. Another one of the bedrooms inside the home.





25. This is Garfield's study. It includes a special padded chair he had built because he kept breaking regular frames. He was somewhere between 6 feet and 6-2, and weighed over 220 pounds.



26. These pictures on a stairwell show James and Lucretia Garfield as a young couple and then later in life.



Though his presidency lasted just 200 days (of which he spent about 80 bedridden), Garfield had an interesting life and his presidency had so much potential before it was cut short. A visit to the Garfield National Historic Site is time well spent for all potus_geeks.