James Garfield National Historic Site and Monument

Last Updated on December 6, 2023 by

The Garfield Homestead lies about 30 minutes east of downtown Cleveland, so unless you’re on some form of forced business trip, you likely won’t have occasion to be in the area. However, should said said trip befall you, take advantage of the drive into the country to visit this historic site. The house is beautifully preserved and in fact maintains over 80 percent original decor. The Lakeview Cemetery is about thirty minutes away and is the site of the Garfield Monument. As anyone who reads this blog knows, we love a good cemetery, and this one has absolutely beautiful grounds.

James Garfield National Historic Site

If you’ve visited even half as many historic homes as we have, you will know that’s pretty impressive. It turns out Mrs. Garfield was pretty convinced Mr. Garfield was going places, even early on in his career and consequently saved everything of historical interest, and even some things that weren’t. Either that or she was a 17th century hoarder. I offer no judgement other than to say it was interesting to see a historic home in it’s intended state rather than the perceived state imagined by some historian. Naturally, having seen this house, I am also forced to concede many historians seem to rely on solid research and historical fact rather than their intuited feeling as I have long suspected. I particularly enjoyed the spiders delicately placed so subtly into the the design of the wallpaper you may not even notice until it is pointed out to you.

First, a little about the man himself. Garfield imagined himself to be a true gentleman farmer and intentionally moved here to teach his children the value of hard work. I would have voted for him for that reason alone. He is also the last president to be born in a log home. He served in the military during the Civil War and attained the rank of Brigadier General. Following his military service, he spent nearly twenty years as a Congressman before running for a Senate position. He won his Senatorial bid in 1880, but never served a day as Senator. During the Republican Convention of 1880, Garfield was selected as the party’s nomination for President. He won the election by barely over 2000 votes in the popular vote, but easily defeated his Democratic foe in the Electoral College vote 214 to 155, so he passed up the Senate gig in favor of being the big cheese.

Garfield remains the only President elected while a sitting member of the House of Representatives. Less than six months later on July 2, 1881, Garfield was shot by a Trump supporter. Seriously, he was shot in the back and in the arm by a guy who thought the Vice-President should have been elected President. Although his condition improved, he eventually succumbed to his wounds on September 18.

The true highlight of the home was, without a doubt, the tour guide. Knowledge of the property aside, our guide was a diminutive woman in her 70’s who let trickle details of her extraordinary life during our 90 minutes with her. She had flown a zeppelin in Berlin, ridden a luge in New Zealand, and sky dived over the pyramids, just to name a few of the tidbits she shared. She also took her job seriously and was a fount of endless knowledge about the property and the family.

Garfield ran his presidential campaign almost exclusively from here. The citizenry would exit the train from the nearby neighboring town and walk the few miles through his property to reach the home. Eventually, the train drew so many passengers, a stop was added closer to the edge of the property. Reporters soon took to calling the property “Lawnfield”, likely due to the large numbers of reporters and the public camping out for various speeches.
The property also serves as the the first ever Presidential library, funded completely by the family. Current Presidents take note.
Also on the grounds is a gas storage building stemming from the discovery of natural gas on the property in 1880’s. Although the building is of no real visual or historic interest, I mention it because I was unaware America had harnessed natural gas as early as the 1800’s and thought I would share that little tidbit.

There is also a large carriage house and horse barn and an even larger windmill. The windmill was built in 1894, thirteen years after Garfield’s assassination. While the water pump needed to be replaced out of necessity, the new windmill was also constructed specifically as a ‘feature’, an aesthetically pleasing structure to enjoy while on the grounds.

Lakeview Cemetery

President Garfield is buried at Lake View Cemetery, but it took him 9 years to get there. After he died on September 18, he lay in state at the Capitol rotunda in Cleveland for 2 days and was then transported to a temporary crypt. Over the next nine years, the construction of the monument commenced, with a dedication held on Memorial Day 1890 when President Garfield finally found his final resting place.

The monument features a circular tower 50 feet in diameter and 180 feet high, built of native Ohio sandstone on a broad stone terrace. Around the exterior are five panels in bas-relief depicting Garfield’s life and death. These panels include more than 100 figures, all of them life-size.

https://www.lakeviewcemetery.com/visit/garfield-memorial

I don’t know if the monument is indicative of how much the people of Ohio loved Garfield, or having a President from Ohio, or simply elevating his stature due to assassination, but the monument is sure to guarantee he will not be forgotten. In addition to its massive size, it also sits on the highest point in a VERY hilly cemetery. Unfortunately, the monument was under construction during our visit so we had to settle for exterior photos only.

If, like us, you enjoy cemeteries, Lake View is worth the visit for more than just Garfield’s Monument (or JD Rockefeller, who is also buried here). In addition to the standard array of magnificent headstones. the cemetery was also intentionally designed as an arboretum. Highlighting the horticulture are multiple varieties of Japanese maple planted throughout the grounds. There are also seven trees, of five different species, dating back to when Moses Cleaveland founded the city 1796; two White Oak, two Tulip Poplars, an American Beech, a Sycamore, and a Black Oak. There are also Gingko Biloba and one of the largest Weeping Canadian Hemlock trees in the US. If the trees don’t interest you, perhaps Daffodil Hill will be more to your liking. Gifted 6,000 bulbs just prior to WWII, the cemetery now boasts over 150,000 Carlton and King Alfred daffodils.

Finally, a stop at the Wade Memorial Chapel is a must. Designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and his studio (yes, that Tiffany), the chapel is an amazing display of the art and craftmanship of one of America’s most famous designers. The highlight of the chapel is a huge stained glass window created using the “Favrile” glass technique.

The piece is named The Flight of Souls and was originally created for the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris where it was awarded a gold medal. The east and west walls are entirely mosaic depicting Old and New Testament themes respectively.

Not to be outdone by the other three walls, the entrance boasts two four ton bronze doors that can be pushed open by a child. There is a docent on staff and it is absolutely worth 30 minutes of your time to listen to the history of the construction and the explanation of the iconography.