Warren G. Harding

 Saturday, May 10, 2025

I drove from the Columbus area, north to Marion, Ohio.   Warren G. Harding was elected in 1920.   

His house was on a primary street.  His first porch collapsed under the weight of all the politicians.   When he had it rebuilt, they did something wrong with the concrete and steel beams, because the beautiful floor tiles started cracking almost immediately.

His campaign for president was a "front porch campaign".   Everyone came to him and he gave his speeches from the porch.    Here you see me waving to the crowds who are coming from the train station.  to hear me speak.    

 

By gentlemen's agreement, they did not start campaigning until August.  He could not find a place for the press, so he ordered a pre-fab house from Montgomery Wards, and built it in about 2 days in his neighbor's backyard!   Still there!   As a newspaper man, he valued the press!

He was elected by an incredible margin, and was extremely popular.  He accomplished some stuff, but his term was cut short when he died during a major cross-country tour.   Rumors that his wife poisoned him are apparently unfounded, he did have heart problems.    After he died, several scandals surfaced in his administration, such as Teapot Dome, which involved lots of fraud over strategic oil fields.   About the time his reputation was improving, the mother of his illegitimate daughter published a tell-all book.   There was an earlier case that the party paid off.

I am becoming very fascinated by all the wallpaper in these old houses.   In Harding's case, serious research was done to recreate the closest to the original.  These houses have been carefully restored.   It helps that in many cases, they found original receipts for fixtures and the wallpaper, and they took it from there.    I am very impressed by most of the wallcoverings in these houses.

The museum is next door and is currently the newest presidential museum.   They have plans for the library.   By the way, the library houses the documents for researchers, while the museum is for people like me who like to look at "stuff".

Lady in my tour is from Bear Creek in Houston, and has not only done what I am doing, but some years ago she, too, visited all 254 Texas County Courthouses!    My group thought that was odd!