Potus Geeks Photo: Warren Harding and Other Great Minds
This photo was taken in 1921. In it are Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Warren Harding and Harvey Firestone. I'm not sure who is who left to right and if anyone can help with that, thank you. As near as I can figure out, that's Edison to the left of Harding in the photo (Harding's right.) I believe Ford is on the left of the photo and Firestone is to the right of Harding (Harding's left). I'm not sure who the man standing is or who is on the very right of the photo touching his nose.
The photo was taken during the week of July 21-27, 1921, when Edison, Ford and Firestone camped at a site about six miles east of Hancock in Washington County in Maryland. During the weekend, President Warren G. Harding joined the “vagabonds” — the name the wealthy industrialists gave themselves when they camped together. The 200-acre farm where they made camp was located about one mile north of the National Turnpike along Licking Creek. Today, the campsite lies inside Camp Harding County Park. A plaque memorializes the gathering of these famous campers.
About mid-morning on July 23, 1921, Ford, Edison and Firestone left their campsite at Licking Creek and drove west on U.S. Route 40 to Funkstown to meet Harding, who had left the White House earlier that morning. Large crowds gathered along the roadside in Hagerstown to watch the long caravan of vehicles rumble by as they headed back to the camp site.
Harding’s group numbered more than 40 people and included, among others, Secret Service personnel and 10 white house photographers. The vagabond’s entourage included family members, cooks, truck drivers and maintenance staff. Harding and the vagabonds arrived back at Licking Creek at about 1 p.m. Newspaper reporters wrote that the president arrived just in time to help cook for the entire party. Reports say that Harding took off his coat, and with a “business-like grip” around an ax, cut enough firewood to cook food for the entire group. After lunch, Harding retired to his tent to take a nap. A photographer also captured a shot of Edison napping on the ground under an elm tree.
While Harding and Edison grabbed a nap, Ford and Firestone conducted a wood-chopping contest for the benefit of the press and onlookers. Despite the noise just outside his tent, Harding emerged rested and refreshed from his hour-long nap and immediately went to the wood pile to chop more firewood. Afterwards, the president and Firestone walked over to Licking Creek, where Harding reminisced about the swimming holes he enjoyed as a child.