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This was going to be the last chance for us to pick up the presidents
in the Midwest, so it was now or never. To drive across I-80 would be
boring, since we had driven it several times when living in Denver
(before starting the hobby), and I had just driven it myself in
October. Also, the February weather might be spotty, so taking a more
southern route might be more practical.
I figured that we could pick up six presidents on this trip with only
a small backtrack. From Detroit, we would head south, then EAST to
Cleveland (to revisit Garfield as a family), then head south to
Canton for McKinley. We would continue south through West Virginia,
then head west to Greeneville, TN for Andrew Johnson. Heading west
into Nashville would net us Andy Jackson and James Polk. Crossing to
St Louis, we would use I-70 for our trip west, stopping in
Independence, MO for Truman and Abilene, KS for Eisenhower.
JAMES GARFIELD - Cleveland, OH
20th President
23rd in my collection (1st of 7 in trip) |
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Photo Album |
We left for Salt Lake City from Detroit in the evening, and I
suspected that we had car trouble because the heater failed to work
and the back windows would not defrost. Passing a bank sign in
suburban Cleveland, the temperature read five degrees below zero
(oh!). The morning was spectacular, with blue skies and sunshine. We
visited Garfield, a second time for me, this time with a camera, once
again in winter, and again the building interior was locked up tight.
Garfield's remains reside in a large memorial building (see my red
sweatshirt for scale). I have seen pictures and its interior is
quite elaborate with a unique (among the presidents) burial display.
President and Mrs Garfield's uninterred coffins simply lie upon
pedistals on display within the building. Sadly, my two wintertime
visits have denied me access to the inside, so I have never actually
seen them. We also stopped by Garfield's house and museum (but did
not go in). Garfield was assassinated in office, and his resting
place is slightly more elaborate than average. Buried in the same
cemetery, a short distance away, are many of Cleveland's rich and
famous, the most famous of which is John D Rockefeller. Years later I
read his autobiography, and learned of his Cleveland roots (hard to
imagine Cleveland as the original "Oil City".
Finally, we then toured the nearby "Kirtland Temple", a
Mormon settlement of Joseph Smith that preceded the one in Nauvoo, IL
(which itself preceded the one for Brigham Young in Salt Lake City).
The Kirtland Temple, oddly enough, is owned by the sister-sect of the
more famous Utah Mormons, the RLDS (reformed latter day saints).
Kirtland was also famous for a grisly murder that occurred a decade
or so previous, at the hands of a renegade temple guide and
delusional religious zealot. When researching my new Utah neighbors,
I could not pass up a book called "The Mormon Murders".
WILLIAM McKINLEY - Canton, OH
25th President
24th in my collection (2nd of 7 in trip) |
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Photo Album |
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We drove south from Cleveland, and stopped by to visit President
McKinley in Canton. He is interred in a free standing building
circular and domed. From a distance, I originally took it to be a
small observatory or planetarium. It was located on a very high hill,
with a mile or so of stairs leading up to its entrance. On this dead
winters day, it too was locked up tight. I smiled to see the toboggan
tracks down the snowy hillsides surrounding the tomb. I debated
whether or not McKinley would be pleased. McKinley was also
assassinated during his term, making the remarkable coincidence of
Ohio being rich with Presidents (five) but only Hayes surviving into
retirement. Harding and Harrison died of natural causes, while
Garfield and McKinley met theirs from violence. |
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ANDREW JOHNSON - Greenville, TN
17th President
25th in my collection (3rd of 7 in trip) |
Click to see
Photo Album |
 We
proceeded south, out of Ohio and down through West Virginia. We
passed through the "toe" of Virginia, and into the eastern
edge of Tennessee. This would be our farthest point out of the way
for our Detroit to Salt Lake City trip. This part of the country must
be beautiful in many seasons, but in deep February it was cold and
overcast, and covered in half-melted dirty snow with mud peeping
through, although the many stands of pine trees were beautiful in any
season or condition.
It was easy to find Greenville, and Andrew Johnson's home, museum,
and grave. Johnson is an interesting character, ascending into office
after Lincoln's assassination. He had been a simple man, chosen to
provide the ticket a token southerner, and many feel he mismanaged
the critical period immediately following the cessation of the civil
war hostilities. He was, at the time of our visit, the only president
to be impeached, (since Nixon resigned before being served papers),
and I was delighted years later to see the newsreels of the park
service tour guides adjusting those Greenville displays (using black
electrical tape) during Clinton's congressional escapade. The museum
is in his old office, and his home is nearby. His grave site was a
granite obelisk in a nearby cemetery. A wrought iron fence helped to
make it a small traffic roundabout and the bleak weather, very
overcast and drizzling rain, made for an unmemorable day.
ANDREW JACKSON - Nashville, TN - The Hermitage
7th President
26th in my collection (4th of 7 in trip) |
Click to see
Photo Album |
 We
headed west (finally) and took in the length of the state of
Tennessee in a drizzly February rainstorm. The next day was majestic,
with the rain and clouds cleared up and again beautiful blue skies.
Jackson lived outside of Nashville, I am sure in the countryside in
his day, now the area between Opryland and the airport. His
residence, "The Hermitage",
was named after a popular fad of his day, invoking supposed good
luck associated with "Hermits", woodland people that might
reside on your property. The estate was well kept, and we took a
brief tour. The grounds were well maintained, and a refreshing walk
let us take it in. President Jackson is buried in a family cemetery
on the property, with a sprinkling of his descendants. His actual
grave site is a small marble structure, with several columns set in a
circle and supporting a domed roof. It is small (I would rather say
tastefully done), classy without being ostentatious. Next door is
"Tulip Grove", a home built by Jackson for his secretary
and political heir. Unfortunately, a raised highway now bisects the
two properties.
JAMES POLK - Nashville, TN - Statehouse Grounds
11th President
27th in my collection (5th of 7 in trip) |
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Photo Album |
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President Polk is a president often overlooked by historians these
days. He is buried in a small mausoleum on the actual lawn of the
Tennessee State capitol building. The capitol building is on a small
hill with nice vistas of the city in all directions. The lawn on one
side is adorned with a giant statue (at least twice life size) of
Jackson, riding on horseback. Polk is buried around the corner, on
the far side lawn, in a simple white marble freestanding structure
adorned with small columns and his name engraved on the doorjamb. Not
a place I would pick to spend eternity and certainly being
overshadowed by famous predecessor. The city view must have been
360-degrees before all the tall buildings were built. |
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HARRY TRUMAN - Independence, MO
33rd President
28th in my collection (6th of 7 in trip) |
Click to see
Photo Album |
 We
continued our drive to Salt Lake City by crossing through Kentucky,
and the southern tip of Illinois. We visited the arch in St Louis,
and made our way west across Missouri. In suburban Kansas City, we
found President Truman's home, library, and grave. Truman was truly a
"hometown boy does good" story, and his library is a square
and modern building set on a plot of land once used as a city park.
The museum displays highlighted his life and were enjoyable. The
library itself has a square courtyard, outside but inside, open
during business hours and protected from vandals. President and Mrs
Truman are buried traditionally, with marble slabs over their graves.
We were met by a perpetual flame, a mirror of JFK's in Arlington, and
the local VFW kept fresh flowers present, even in darkest February.
Interestingly, located also in Independence Missouri is the world
headquarters of the RLDS sect. They have built an unusual building
(shaped like a 10 story tall Conch shell) on the original "chosen
ground" set aside by Joseph Smith. The land in Independence,
along with the Kirtland temple, stayed in the possession of the RLDS
(these days a fairly small organization) when Brigham Young split off
with his splinter group that, through clever and aggressive
marketing, is now a gigantic world-wide presence and single mindedly
pursuing world-wide domination (oops, I mean "spiritual conversion").
On a later vacation, we again visited the
Truman Libarary (in warm May). Unfortunately, we visited during a
major renovation of the courtyard, which will eventually be
remarkable. However, our second attempt to pay our respects was
accompanied by the sound of front loaders and cement saws. Oh well.
DWIGHT EISENHOWER - Abeline, KS
34th President
29th in my collection (7th of 7 in trip) |
Click to see
Photo Album |
We scurried out of Kansas City because a February snow sqall was
blowing at us from the Kansas plains. It was still forming, and we
could skirt under it and continue west unhindered, so we took off
quickly. We spent the night in Topeka, and the morning news showed
how several inches of snow had socked in the Kansas City area, and we
would have easily lost two days progress on our trip.
 Our
last president for this trip was in Abeline, a very small town
located near I-70, but otherwise, by eastern urban standards, in the
middle of nowhere. Eisenhower grew up here and his childhood home and
the surrounding land served once again as a living muesum to a famous
American. Of course he and Mamie had lived elsewhere for many years,
most famously as retirees on a "farm" outside of
Gettysburg, PA, but returned to Abeline in death. The grounds have a
spectacular (twice life size) statue of the president, dressed in his
World War II military uniform and surrounded by a low wall etched
with famous speeches, and bedecked with flagpoles unfortunately bare
in February.
A small "chapel" was built on the grounds, and houses the
actual grave site. Stepping inside, you are overcome by the climate
control (warm, in February), dim relaxed lighting, and the sound of a
small bubbling fountain to encourage a relaxed and contemplative
environment. Of course, the walls were also etched with famous quotes
from the president. We took pictures, and the "presidential"
portion of our second trip west was over.
We proceed onto Denver, Cheyenne, and eventually Ogden, Utah. I had
now visited and photographed all but six presidents. LBJ, in Johnson
City in central Texas would prove to be a challenge. But the other
five were all within 100 miles of NYC. FDR (Hyde Park), Teddy
Roosevelt (Long Island), Grant (Grant's Tomb), Buchanan (Lancaster,
PA) and Grover Cleveland (Princeton, NJ). At the time, Nixon was
still alive, along with Bush, Reagan, Carter, and Ford. I put the
pictures in my photo album, and set the hobby aside. My new job in
Utah would be devoid of travel, so it seemed that it might be years
or decades before I would finish my collection.
Copyright, 2000, all rights reserved |
