James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Ohio is the birthplace of six US Presidents, and among those is the second one to be assassinated. James Abram Garfield was born in 1831 and was inaugurated as the 20th US President on March 4, 1881. Charles J. Guiteau believed he should be rewarded with an ambassadorship for helping Garfield to get elected. In reality, all he had done was to write a leaflet and distribute it, so his requests were turned down. Guiteau became bitter about being rebuffed so on July 2, 1881 he lay in wait for Garfield in Washington DC and shot him as he walked past. Garfield was seriously wounded, but the next day he appeared to be recovering. However a bullet remained lodged in his spine, and over a period of months his condition fluctuated. He died as a result of blood poisoning on September 19, 1881.
Garfield's Farm
In the 19th century, US Presidents were not full time politicians. James Garfield was also a farmer and before the Presidential Campaign this was known as the Mentor Farm. Reporters covering the Republican nominee’s campaign could not find local accommodation, so they camped out on the lawn. It was they who named the house ‘Lawnfield’. Some farm buildings have been preserved, but now hemmed in by houses they seem a little forlorn.
Lawnfield House
The home that James Garfield acquired in 1876 has been preserved as the James A. Garfield National Historic Site. Garfield ran his Presidential campaign at the house, making speeches there to visiting supporters rather that touring the country. This type of campaign became known as a ‘front porch campaign’. After the assassination, his family continued to live in Lawnfield until 1936. In the 1990s the house was restored with reproductions of the original wallpaper and period furniture. 80% of the furnishings now at Lawnfield belonged to the Garfield family in the 1880s.
Windmill
You might think that this windmill was another relic of the early farming days but it was actually built after Garfield’s death by his widow Lucretia. The well that supplied Lawnfield was a source of increasing problems, so in 1894 she had a windmill constructed to pump water to a storage tank in the house. The windmill was demolished in 1930 after suffering from serious wind damage. This 19 metre (62 foot) high replica was built on the original foundations in 1998.
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© Mike Elsden 1981 - 2023
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