Presidents Pierce and Coolidge

This happened September 26, 2024

I picked up the rental car from Logan airport. Another problem with third-party booking is that I’m stuck returning the car to Logan! I have changed my Southwest Airlines reservation from Hartford to Boston, but I would’ve really rather flown out of Hartford.    Sigh

Franklin Pierce’s Home is in Concord, New Hampshire.   This is the original house, but it has been moved to an historic area.   A group called the Pierce brigade, saved the house from destruction and rehabbed it to its former glory.    Pierce was our 14th president, a strict constitutionalist.  He believed slavery was wrong, but ticked off everybody in the country over the situation in Kansas, known forever more as “bleeding Kansas”  

The tree is a reminder that President Pierce had the first White House Christmas tree.

My tour guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, even though by noon I was only the fifth visitor of the day. They have many interesting artifacts for the house.   President Pierce did not always have a happy life as none of his three children survived childhood.    He considered Jefferson Davis a friend since Davis had been his secretary of war and even wrote nice things to him after the war.   Peirce was not able to get nominated for reelection and saw James Buchanan take his place.  Boy, that was an improvement?!

Next, I drove forever to Plymouth, Vermont to see the birthplace and boyhood home of Calvin Coolidge.   I had planned to just wander through the visitor center, but the lady convinced me to take the walk a couple hundred feet to the village of Plymouth Notch that has been preserved, mostly.   Here I saw where he was born, grew up, was told he had just become president with the death of President Harding, and even saw the upper room over the general store, that is referred to as the summer White House.  Coolidge was a man a few words, but the visitor center has a number of his witty sayings in his own voice.   

I was very impressed with a quilt that Young Calvin made. It is still on his bed. The tour guide said it is very rare for a boy to be able to do the intricate sewing required of falling blocks.  I was impressed and intrigued because I have that quilt, with different material, that my grandmother made me many years ago.   

This is the room where Calvin‘s father administered the oath of office after Warren Harding passed away.  

I was a little late getting to Coolidge because I saw a wooden covered bridge and some foliage and a waterfall, so I just had to stop!

The Coolidge site is so remote that I had to drive about 10 miles before my GPS would reconnect and tell me how to get to Fairview, Vermont almost to the Canadian border.   You may know that I do not trust GPS, but this day I had to put my full faith in it.    Coming out of Boston, I would’ve killed myself if I had had to study a map and drive, but I just plugged it in to the car display and charged along.

I stayed the night at the Inn @ Buck Hollow Farms just a few minutes south of the president Arthur birthplace.    Very nice and cozy.   Breakfast included lemon poppy waffles with real Vermont maple syrup!

This was the view of foliage from my upstairs window.