to the Summer 2016 Newsletter!

S
EW
N
Vol. 3, Issue 2
2016 Event
Calendar
June 2, "Professor of Falsehoods: William
Chancellor's Bid to Derail the Harding
Presidency," 7 p.m. at OSU Marion's Guthery
Room. Friends of Harding Home and Ohio
History Connection members, $5; general
admission, $10.
June July August 2016
It's official!
Autumn
is one
Vol.PP3, Issue
1 of those seasons that provide
great opportunities for outdoor play and creative
Harding Home heads to 2020
with restoration, building plans
June 18, Friends of Harding Home Day at the
Harding Home, 1-3:30 p.m. Casual meal
followed by site update and program about the
Harding Home restoration. Friends members,
no charge; general admission, $20.
In four short years, your
experience at the Harding Home
will be elevated to a more
presidential scale, you might say.
June 23, Silent Movie Night at the Harding
Home, 7 p.m. Freewill donation.
The Harding Home we know
today is a wonderful house full of
original historical objects. In 2020,
though, you'll come as close as
possible to stepping into the Home
and grounds as they appeared
during Sen. Warren G. Harding's
1920 front porch campaign.
July 15-16, Warren G. Harding Symposium at
OSU Marion.
July 16, Annual Presidential Wreathlaying at
Harding Memorial, 10:30 a.m. No admission
charge.
August 4, "The Help," 7 p.m. at OSU
Marion's Guthery Room. Meet some of the
people who worked for the Hardings and learn
their stories. Friends of Harding Home and
Ohio History Connection members, no charge;
general admission, $10.
October 9, 85th Annual Scout Pilgrimage at
the Harding Memorial, 3 p.m. . No charge.
November 13, Beyond the Ropes, 1:30 and
3:30 sessions at the Harding Home. Friends of
Harding Home and Ohio History Connection
members, no charge; general admission, $10.
Reservations required due to limited seating.
November 17, Florence Harding Shopping
Spree, 8-10 p.m., Scioto Shoe Mart, 206
James Way, Marion. Friends of Harding Home
and Ohio History Connection members, $10;
general admission, $15. Advance tickets only.
Questions?
800.600.6894
[email protected]
Harding Home
380 Mt. Vernon Ave.
Marion, OH 43302
And, you'll learn what campaign
reporters' jobs were like a century
ago when you enter the cottage
built especially for them.
Plan plenty of time to tour the
Warren G. Harding Presidential
Center, architecturally designed to
blend a feel of Harding's warm
personality with a healthy dose of
prestige fitting for our 29th
president.
Harding 2020, announced in April
to an audience of more than 100
Marion community members and
other invited guests, will
transform the presidential site -molding the excitement of the
1920 campaign into a new 21st
century package.
Wait until you see what's ahead!
Harding Home site prepares for next 100 years
The design of the future Harding Home Presidential
Site will be simple and logical. The Harding Home,
which faces Mt. Vernon Avenue, will be the gem of the
campus, as always.
On the west side of the Home (on the left in the
adjacent rendering) is a house which will be the
maintenance hub. It will retain its circa 1885
appearance in the neighborhood. The current driveway
on the east side of that house will be removed, along
with the small parking lot in the Harding backyard. The
relocated parking lot will allow access from two major
thoroughfares, plus permit bus entry.
along East Church Street, directly at the rear of the
Harding Home. The L-shaped building will allow
visitors to explore the many layers of the Harding story
in the exhibit gallery, attend a program or special event
in the spacious event hall, browse in an expanded gift
shop and delve into the Harding era in a research
center.
The Press House, shown to the rear and slightly right of
the Home in the rendering, will house an exhibit about
the newspapermen who worked there and the role
newspaper coverage played in the 1920 campaign.
The new presidential center will occupy four properties
Ohio's U.S. Senators lead charge for Harding 2020
Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman,
Ohio's members in the U.S. Senate,
are the honorary co-chairs of
Harding 2020. Each has voiced his
belief in the importance of
elevating the Harding story
through Harding 2020.
"Harding 2020 represents a
celebration
of Ohio's
history and
its future,"
Sen.
Brown
said. "As a
museum
and an
archive, visitors from across the
country and around the world will
learn more about Warren Harding's
life in Marion and how it helped
shape his presidency.
"Additionally, through its work
with community partners, the
Harding Home will also continue
to serve as a center for discussion
and ideas that continue to make
Ohio a stronger state and lend to
our tradition of civic participation."
Sen. Portman referred to Ohio's
unique presidential history. "Ohio
is known as the 'Mother of
Presidents,' having given our
country seven presidents, most
recently my predecessor in the
Senate, Warrren Harding. In 28 of
the next 54 years after the election
of Ulysses S. Grant, the
Republican President of the United
States was from Ohio," he said.
"President Harding's 'front porch'
campaign
epitomized
Buckeye
common
sense: fiscal
responsibility,
with, as he
put it, 'less
government in
business, and
more business in government.' He
won in a landslide, lowered taxes
and ushered in an era of
prosperity," the senator said. "His
memory is dear to the proud
heritage of Ohio and to American
history; I am honored to serve as
co-chair of Harding 2020."
Wanted: Harding enthusiasts who want to explore president's story
You have a role to play in Harding 2020. You are part of the
team, the machinery that makes the project roll forward (you
get the picture.)
expanded day to day operations. More than 40 percent of the
goal has been raised through public and private funds. Now
is the time to get on board with this exciting project!
The projected cost of Harding 2020 -- which includes the
presidential center and the restoration work -- is $6.3
million. An additional $1 million endowment will help fund
Go to www.ohiohistory.org/Harding2020 to donate online,
or consider extending your support with a multi-year
donation from your family, foundation or corporation.
Elegant rotunda will grace new building
A rotunda lobby, featuring stately columns, may remind
visitors to the new presidential center of the nearby Harding
Memorial, the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda or the U.S. Capitol
Building -- all of which are closely connected to the story of
Warren G. Harding.
to the famous front porch campaign. Visitors will experience
the Hardings' White House, explore the national and
international issues facing the president, travel with him on
his western trip to Alaska and gather insight about his legacy
after his untimely death while in office.
"The rotunda is the main hub of the building," Harding Home
Presidential Site Manager Sherry Hall said. "From there, you
purchase your admission tickets, enter the gift shop, head to
the event hall, stroll the exhibit gallery or begin your walk to
the Home. The building is very logical and efficient in
layout."
Designed by the Ohio History Connection Director of
Architectural Services Fred Smith and his staff, the
presidential center will cater to the visitor experience, with the
majority of public space easily accessible on the first floor.
Interior and exterior building materials will be carefully
selected to reflect both Harding's warm personality and his
status as president.
The exhibit gallery, shown as empty space in the lower
drawing at the left, will house many exhibits about Warren
and Florence Harding, from their early lives to the important
Marion Daily Star years, and from Harding's political career
The first floor, shown above, features a rotunda lobby flanked by columns. The
gift shop is shown on the north (left) side of the rotunda. A large exhibit
gallery is on the south (right) side of the rotunda. East of the rotunda is the
event space, which can be condoned off into smaller spaces. It opens up onto
the courtyard. Restrooms and a catering kitchen are close by.
"A lot of philosophical thought has gone into this," Hall said.
"This building will be uniquely Harding, just as other
presidential museums have their own voices".
Ride the elevator or climb the stairs to the second floor, and you'll see the
administrative office suite and the secure collections storage area. The storage
area will house historical objects which are not on display, allowing the staff
easy access in a climate-controlled environment. A research room will allow
authors, historians, students and Harding enthusiasts space to work.
Jeffris Family Foundation gives boost to restoration
The Harding Home restoration
project, which is half of Harding
2020, received a huge financial
boost with a $435,000 challenge
grant from the Jeffris Family
Foundation.
The Jeffris foundation grant will
pay for one-third of the cost of
restoring the Harding Home to its
1920 appearance. The other twothirds will come from private
donations which need to be
achieved by June 2018. The
restoration totals approximately
$1.3 million and is part of the $6.3
million Harding 2020 price tag.
"We are already siginificantly on
our way to the two-thirds amount,"
Harding Home Presidential Site
Manager Sherry Hall said, "but we
need others to participate." Donors
to Harding 2020 can earmark their
gifts for the restoration, the
presidential center, the endowment,
or for a combination of these
destinations.
Although located in Wisconsin, the
Jeffris foundation embraced the
Harding endeavor, feeling it was a
good fit for its interest in historic
preservation projects in smaller
cities in the Midwest.
When finished, the Harding Home
will reflect such attributes as
wallpapers authentic to Mrs.
Harding's choices for the 1920
campaign, and furnishings which
were in the home that famous
summer. "You literally will be in
the center of the 1920 campaign,"
Hall said.
Friends of the Harding Home Day
June 18, 1-3:30 p.m.
Harding Home tent
Lunch & program about the upcoming restoration
RSV
P
une
J
y
b
10
800.600.6894 or
[email protected]
Free for Friends, $20 for non-members
Waffle breakfast, golf outing start summer season off right
Storm clouds skirted the Marion
Country Club on May 1, and the
President Harding Golf Outing
went off without a hitch, raking
in proceeds for the Harding
Home restoration.
Fifteen golfing foursomes made
the second year for the event a
success, with the foursome of
Don Wiley, Charlie Wall, Rocky
Miller and Kirk Ballinger
winning the day.
Our thanks to the following
sponsors: Rosie & Joe Catera;
Henry Lumber; Sims Brothers
Recycling; Verne Hart Insurance;
Chicago Title Co.; Fruth & Co.;
Marion Technical College; Hertz;
Laipply's Printing & Marketing
Solutions; Stifel; 29 Brew Pub;
10 & Co. Photography; Candy
Shack Cafe; Drain Pro; Tuffy's
Auto Service; Ohio State
University Marion; A-1 Printing;
Eagle Creek; Kepford Farms;
Tom Mathews & Todd Anderson,
Attorneys; Hensel Investments;
Jack's Secondhand Shop; Marion
Public Library; Johnston Supply;
Wyandot Inc.; Shamrock
Insurance; Ted McKinniss,
Attorney; Stevens Construction;
Well-Kaw Glass; Radebaugh
& Co.; Family of Sally S.
Adams.
Two weeks later, the second
annual Waffle Breakfast took
place at Tri-Rivers Career
Center, with the proceeds
helping to defray costs
associated with restoring
Florence Harding's White House
piano. The piano will be in the
new Harding Presidential Center.
Waffles were a favorite meal of
President Harding, and Mrs.
Harding's recipe was published in
magazines during the
campaign.The site will beef up
its waffle station in 2017, in
anticipation of the steadly
growing attendance. Members of
the Harding Home Advisory
Committee served, while
Harding Home researcher Jon
Andersen called upon his day job
skills and headed up chef duties.
Warren G. Harding Symposium
July 15-16 @ OSU Marion
& Marion Technical College
"The American Presidential Candidate:
Reality vs. Illusion"
Registration deadline: July 8
go.osu.edu/harding or call 740-725-6340R
The Warren G. Harding Home & Memorial
are historic sites of the Ohio History Connection,
locally managed by Marion Technical College
Acs fThe Waror Autumn