Rutherford B. Hayes Home & Concert

Today, being July the 4th, we decided to do some truly American activities.  We headed out to the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center to learn more about one of our American Presidents and to listen to a concert while having a picnic lunch.  What could be more American, right?  The only problem is that it is in the high 90's today and only a slight breeze so the weather was not cooperating very well.

There are several entrances into the Center but they all have the same kind of gates and we found out that they were the original White House Gates when President Hayes was in office.  They were donated  by Congress in 1928 to Spiegel Grove which is our nation's first presidential library (though not managed by the National Archives like all Presidential libraries since Hoover).

The original gates from the White House 
When President Hayes Served

The Hayes Presidential Center which includes his home, burial site, museum and library  is located within 25-acres of the President's original estate called Spiegel Grove.  

Rutherford B. Hayes Home

Back of the Home

Line for a tour of the house

This is the floor plan of the Home as we saw it after several additions to the original summer home.

This is President Hayes Receiving Room - the ceilings were two feet higher than in the rest of the home to accommodate the large framed painting of him.

This is Mrs. Hayes Parlor

The first thing we did was to park the truck in one of several parking areas.  Then we went into the Museum and purchased a ticket to tour the home and the museum.  We didn't have to wait long for a tour of the home but we were really disappointed that we couldn't take pictures inside as it is a magnificent home.  I especially loved the walnut and butternut staircase leading to a rooftop lantern offering a 360-degree view of Spiegel Grove.

Sardis Birchard, who was the guardian and uncle of President Hayes, had the original house built on his property so that the Hayes family would visit him.  The original summer home was built between 1959 and 1863.  The only thing that President Hayes said he wanted was a large porch and so the summer home had a wrap-around veranda.  For a summer home, it had quite a bit of room as it had eight bedrooms, one of which Uncle Sardis occupied on his visits and later he lived with them.

Garden behind the house

Rutherford B. Hayes Grave Site

Plaque on the Monument

 

After we toured the home and grounds, it was time for the concert.  Unfortunately, we found out that picnics are not allowed on the grounds so we took our chairs, drinks and a couple of cheese sticks with us and found a place to sit in the shade.  We also ended up buying some popcorn because we were starving!  You'll notice in the pictures that no one sat in the sun.  It was pretty warm even in the shade and we loved any little breeze we felt.

The Toledo Symphony Band was seated under a canopy in front of the home.  They played mainly march music which was appropriate for the day and they were very good.  We loved the last piece of music, The 1812 Overture with cannon accompaniment.  Those cannons really boomed!

This is where we sat and our view

 The Audience

All the kids got a balloon

No one used the sunny space - it is in the 90's today!

You can see the Toledo Symphony Band under the Awning

Some of the audience

The 1810 Overture With Cannons

You can hear the cannons boom in this video!