PRESIDENTIALHISTORY
Harding Presidential Museum reflects his triumphs and failures
Once upon a time, Warren G. Harding was one of America’s “worst” presidents.
But the lessons of history, like those of fairy tales, can shift with changing times.
The history of Harding, our 29th president, is being told from a modern perspective at the recently opened Harding Presidential Museum in his hometown of Marion.
The museum, the newest presidential museum in the country, was to have opened to coincide with the centennial of Harding’s election in 1920. COVID put the kibosh on that. But visitors can finally explore the new museum adjacent to Harding’s home, which, as part of the project, has been completely renovated and restored to look as it did during the famous “Front Porch Campaign” of 1920.
Harding’s standing in the pantheon of presidents has risen recently.
Perhaps that has something to do with the declining reputation of his immediate predecessor, Woodrow Wilson. (Our recent crop of presidents may also help by comparison.)
The new museum doesn’t shy from detailing Harding’s failures, which, to be sure, were plentiful. But visitors will also learn about his successes, which were far more numerous than he was once given credit for.
The museum artfully employs artifacts, photos and documents to explore Harding’s life, from his childhood, to his years as publisher of the Marion Star newspaper, to his career as a politician.
Harding’s wife, Florence, also plays a prominent role in the museum’s story, as she did in her husband’s life and career.
“We really try hard to give you a sense of the personalities of the Hardings, to round them out as people, rather than the one-dimensional characters people read about in textbooks,” said site manager Sherry Hall.
The artifacts range from the chair that Harding used in the Oval Office to a giant papiermache potato gifted to the President by the people of Idaho Falls.
One exhibit is designed to resemble the train car that took the Hardings to the Pacific Northwest in 1923, tracing the fateful journey that ended in the President’s death — by natural causes, from all reliable accounts, although conspiracists then and now have posited foul play.
At the time of his death, Harding was one of the most popular presidents in history.
Elected by a record margin over his Democratic opponent, James Cox, the Republican was charismatic and charming. But once he was gone, his reputation fell hard and fast.
Harding was an inveterate philanderer and fathered a child by one of his mistresses. After his death, rumors of those affairs deeply damaged his reputation, as did the corruption scandals that surrounded his “Ohio Gang” advisers, even though Harding himself seemed to have been honest enough.
But Harding instituted many government reforms, such as a formal annual budget, that continue to this day.
Harding’s public pronouncements in favor of equality for black citizens and citizenship for American Indians was also remarkable for the times, and a stark contrast with Wilson’s policies which included the segregation of federal government workers.
Harding also commuted the sentence of Eugene Debs, the Socialist Party leader who had
been jailed during the Wilson administration for publicly opposing World War I. The commutation was a brave act that was opposed by many, including the American Legion and The New York Times.
Museum visitors should also take the onehour guided tour of the adjacent Queen Annestyle Harding Home, which the Hardings built in 1890.
Tours begin on the front porch, where the candidate gave many speeches to the crowds that poured into Marion and onto the Hardings’ lawn during the campaign.
The decorations and furnishings in the house, which reflect the Hardings’ solidly middle class, middle-american home life, are about 95 percent original, perhaps the most of any presidential house museum. And the opening of the adjacent museum has allowed for the relocation of historical items (a papiermache potato, anyone?) that once cluttered the house and were out of place there.
“With the additional space, we can tell the Hardings’ story in a way people have never seen before,” Hall said.
Future plans at the site, operated by the Ohio History Connection, include construction of a presidential library that will allow researchers access to Harding’s papers and records.
Visitors to the museum and house should also make the short drive to the Harding Memorial, a massive monument that emulates a classic Greek temple and contains the tombs of Warren and Florence Harding.
Although the memorial might seem a bit over-the-top today, 21st-century visitors should keep in mind how mores, tastes, perspectives and even history can change over time.
For more information about the Harding presidential sites, visit Hardingpresidentialsites.org.
Steve Stephens is a freelance travel writer and photographer. Email him at sjstephensjr@gmail.com.