1

Volume 1 Summer 2004

First Ladies National Historic Site

1

In September, First Lady Laura

Bush formally inaugurated the National

First Ladies’ Library’s new Education

and Research Center at 205 Market Av-

enue South in downtown Canton with a

ribbon cutting ceremony and dedication

speech. The Center is an expansion of

the Library facilities, which includes the

Saxton House, the ancestral home of

First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley, located

a block south of the Center.

Mrs. Bush toured the renovated

building prior to speaking before an au-

dience of about 400 guests. National

and state dignitaries were also in atten-

dance.

In dedicating the building, Mrs.

Bush said, “The heartland of America is

a fi tting place to honor fi rst ladies who

are the heart of the White House.”She

praised Mary Regula, Library Founder

and President, and wife of U.S. Con-

gressman Ralph Regula, for her dedica-

tion and hard work in making the Library

a reality and said, “Thanks to the First

Ladies’ Library, the history of America’s

fi rst ladies will continue to be told one

lady at a time.”

Immediately following the dedica-

tion, Mrs. Bush met with members of

a Hartville, Ohio Girl Scout troop in the

audience who presented her with the

fi rst National First Ladies’ Library patch.

The dedication was preceded by

a reception and followed by a formal

dinner. Open house tours of both build-

ings were conducted from 1 to 4 p.m.

on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of that

week.

The seven-story Education and Re-

search Center building was constructed

in 1895 as a bank and donated to the

Laura Bush Inaugurates National First Ladies’ Library, Education and Research Center

2

NF

3

Library by the Marsh Belden, Sr. family

in 1997. It was designated as a “Save

America’s Treasure” site in 1999. The

designation was presented by then First

Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton during her

visit in Canton. It provides 20,000 square

feet of space for educational outreach

programs and includes a Victorian style

theater, meeting, reception and exhibi-

tion rooms, conference rooms, an ex-

tensive research and library facility, and

archival storage space.

Additional photos of the inaugura-

tion celebration appear on pages six

and seven.

“First Ladies on the Campaign Trail”

Exhibit Planned for this Summer

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

A new exhibit “First Ladies on the

Campaign Trail” is planned to open

later this summer. In addition to be-

ing a presidential election

year, this year marks the

40th anniversary of the

“Lady Bird Special”, a train

used by Lady Bird John-

son while campaigning for

her husband, Lyndon, in

1964. Lady Bird Johnson

was the fi rst First Lady to

campaign on her own for

her husband.

Our exhibit will center

around Lady Bird John-

son’s campaign stops,

featuring a map indicating

the cities and states she

visited while aboard the

Lady Bird Special, photographs from

the campaign, copies of campaign

speeches she made and numerous ex-

amples of memorabilia created for that

historic campaign.

Many campaign items from the

1888 (unsuccessful)

and 1892 (successful)

campaigns of Grover

Cleveland, which fea-

ture images of Frances

Cleveland – the fi rst First

Lady whose image was

used in campaign mate-

rials – will also be exhib-

ited. In addition, items

depicting Ida McKinley

from William McKinley’s

1896 campaign, will be

shown. Ida McKinley

was the fi rst candidate’s

wife whose image ap-

peared on campaign

materials and about whom a campaign

biography was written.

The role of the First Lady in cam-

paigns has changed dramatically over

time, from nonexistent, to the mere use

of her image, to active campaigner.

This exhibit will show, through the use

of photographs, copies of speeches,

quotes by the First Ladies and cam-

paign items, the evolving role of the First

Lady in the campaign process and how

important that role has become to the

election process.

The exhibit is scheduled to open

August 1.

New Education and Research

Center Offers Innovative Programs,

Services

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The new Education and Research

Center offers a host of innovative pro-

grams and services to help educate

people of all ages about both little

known and very signifi cant contributions

of America’s First Ladies. It also houses

information about other notable Ameri-

can women who were leaders or pio-

neers in their fi elds of endeavor.

In addition to containing more than

3,000 books on, by or about former fi rst

ladies and their contemporaries, the

Center contains an archive of more than

3,500 fi rst lady photographs, artifacts

and other items, authors research pa-

pers and a 45,000-entry bibliography of

all fi rst ladies from Martha Washington to

Laura Bush. Everything is readily avail-

able to scholars and the general public

for research or simple enjoyment.

The Center will also host a variety of

community activities and events includ-

ing live presentations and productions,

documentaries on fi rst ladies, lectures

SSummer Hours and Parking

We have expanded our tour

days to include Sundays during the

months of June, July and August.

Sunday tour times are 12:30, 1:30

and 2:30 p.m. These are in addi-

tion to our regular tour hours Tues-

day through Saturday at 9:30 and

10:30 a.m., and 12:30, 1:30 and

2:30 p.m. There will be no tours

on Sunday, July 4th in observance

of Independence Day.

Please keep in mind that our

reservation policy has changed.

Reservations are still required for

groups of 10 or more. However,

reservations are recommended,

but not required, for all others.

Free parking is available for our

visitors. The parking lot behind the

Saxton House is not gated. Our

parking lot bounded by Market

Avenue South, 3rd Street SW and

Court Avenue is gated. If you’re

planning to visit us, please call for

the gate code to access our lot.

For information, reservations

and the parking gate code, please

call (330) 452-0876. We hope to

see you on a tour soon!

4 5

T

by fi rst lady authors, fi lm showings, and

conferences, seminars and workshops

focused on the presence and infl u-

ence of fi rst ladies. Electronic telecon-

ferencing will be available to students

and classrooms throughout the United

States in the near future.

The Library and its Education and

Research Center was born as a result of

Mary Regula’s personal frustration when

she tried to gather information about

Mary Todd Lincoln, only to discover a

lack of resources about one of the most

well-known fi rst ladies. Mrs. Regula,

Founder and President of the Library,

said, “This project is really about creat-

ing a living library for future generations

that will serve as a tool for learning and

exploring the historic contributions of

infl uential American women. Our main

goal is education at all levels to make

history come alive.”

Tours Available At Newly Renovated

Saxton House

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Visitors to Canton will not only have

access to the Library’s educational ma-

terials, they will also get a glimpse of a

bygone era when they tour the home

of America’s 23rd fi rst lady, Ida Saxton

McKinley. The home has been restored

with great attention to historical accu-

racy.

The former Stark Community Foun-

dation offi ces have been renovated and

now comprise the McKinley family par-

lor, library, dining room, breakfast room

and kitchen.

Tours are available Tuesdays

through Saturdays and, in June, July

and August, also on Sundays. Tours

begin at the Education and Research

Center on the half hour beginning at

9:30 a.m, 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30

p.m. and 2:30 p.m. and on Sundays in

June, July and August at 12:30 p.m.,

1;30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., then contin-

ue on the hour at the Saxton McKinley

House. For 1 to 9 people, reservations

are not required, but are recommended.

For groups of 10 or more, reservations

are required. Call (330) 452-0876 ext.

320 to make reservations and for more

information.

Fillmore Library Honors The First

White House Library

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

In 1850, First Lady Abigail Fillmore,

appalled at the total absence of books

in the White House, asked for and re-

ceived a Congressional appropriation

for $2,000 for the purchase of books to

create a White House Library. Using the

upstairs Oval Room, Mrs. Fillmore lined

the shelves with over 800 books. While

those books have long disappeared,

our goal is to recreate The Abigail Fill-

more Library in her honor.

By examining copies of her invoices

attained from the White House Curator,

we were able to determine the titles of

$50 Member

$100 Inaugural Circle

$250 Ida Saxton McKinley Circle

$500 Executive Circle

$1,000 First Ladies Inner Circle

$5,000 Heritage Circle

I cannot become a member at this time. However I do want to help with my gift of $__________

I am interested in volunteering my time to help with the work of the National First Ladies’ Library

Name

Address

City

State Zip

Phone ( ) –

E-mail

Check Enclosed to National First Ladies’ Library

Charge my VISA MasterCard

Account #

Expiration Date (M/D/Y) / /

Signature

Please cut out this membership form and mail to:

National First Ladies’ Library

205 Market Avenue South

Canton OH 44702

Fax membership to:

(330) 456-3414

Please Call (330) 452-0876 for

more information

BBecome A Part

Of History,

Join The National

First Ladies’ Library

–––––––––––––––––––

We invite you to join our circle

of members who share our

enthusiasm for the important

work of the National First La-

dies’ Library. You can become

a member by completing this

form and sending it, along with

your check or credit card in-

formation, to National First La-

dies’ Library.

Continued on page 8

6 7

Education and RResearch esearch Center.enter.DDedication ofedication of

8 9

FPthose books purchased by Mrs. Fillmore.

We then formed a committee, headed

by rare book collector Jon Lindseth of

Cleveland, to search for copies of each

book that was in that fi rst White House

library. Other committee members in-

clude Bill Allman, Curator of the White

House; Joseph Agyemang of the Library

of Congress; and Hope Mayo, Cura-

tor of Printing and Graphic Arts at the

Harvard University Library and Immedi-

ate Past President of the Bibliographi-

cal Society of America. Working with

the Library of Congress and the White

House, every effort is being made to

fi nd exact editions in their original bind-

ings that Mrs. Fillmore purchased. As

books for the collection are found, they

will be displayed in the Abigail Fillmore

Library located on the main fl oor of our

Education and Research Center.

When Mrs. Fillmore departed the

White House in March, 1853, with only

three weeks to live, we think she would

have been pleased to know her legacy

would be preserved.

Park and Parking Lot Add Beauty

And Convenience

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

A private trust administered by

the Stark Community Foundation re-

cently donated Rotary Park, as well as

the parking lot, located adjacent to the

Saxton House, to the Library. The park

has undergone extensive renovation to

enhance its beauty, usability and safety.

Trees and shrubs have been removed

and replaced, and new tables and

benches and a sprinkler system have

been installed.

A brick walkway provides access

to the new parking lot. A brick wall ex-

tends from the park to the parking area.

The lot is bounded by Market Avenue,

South, Third Street Southwest and

Court Avenue Southwest and provides

free parking for guests, volunteers and

staff. It features a new electric gate sys-

tem.

Sidewalk planters have created

an attractive corridor from the Saxton

House to the Education and Research

Center.

First Ladies Catalogue Available

For Purchase

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The 190-page book on the “Nation-

al First Ladies’ Library and The Impor-

tance of First lady History” can be pur-

chased at the First Ladies’ Gift Shop or

by calling (330) 452-0876. Written and

published by the National First Ladies’

Library and edited by Carl Sferrazza

Anthony, the book contains many col-

orful, historic photographs of America’s

fi rst ladies as well as reprints of political

cartoons, historic drawings, documents

and engravings. Most of these are ei-

ther part of the collection of the Library

or were obtained from public institutions

such as the Library of Congress, the

National Archives, the presidential librar-

ies and the White House.

The book features letters from the

seven fi rst ladies who are honorary

chairpersons of the National First Ladies’

Library and contains information on the

Saxton House restoration and the new

Education and Research Center as well

as how the library was transformed from

VVolunteers Needed–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Volunteers are needed to serve as

costumed docents, hostesses and

gallery greeters. If you have a love

of history and enjoy teaching and/or

performing, we need your help. To

volunteer, call the National First La-

dies’ Library (330) 452-0876.

M

a dream into reality..

Other chapters include: Photo-

graphing First Ladies, Presidential and

Political History of First Ladies and First

Ladies Social Infl uence and Popular

Culture.

An ideal coffee table book and ref-

erence guide, it retails for $34.95 plus

tax.

Many Thousands Of Visitors And

Special Guests Tour Library

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Since the Saxton House opened

in June, 1998, we have had visitors

from all 50 states and from 15 foreign

countries. Since September 5, 2003,

we have had visitors from 26 states;

the District of Columbia and six foreign

countries.

We have

hosted numerous

special guests

including sitting

First Ladies Hillary

Clinton and Laura

Bush, former First

Lady Rosalyn Carter,

Lynne Cheney, Sec-

retary of Labor Elaine

Chao, Secretary of

Education Rod Paige,

Presidential Advisor

Karl Rove, Speaker

of the House Dennis

Hastert, Director of the

National Park Service

Fran Mainella and nu-

merous U. S. Congress-

men and Senators.

Since January, 450 stu-

dents have attended special programs

including a group of 19 Mennonite stu-

dents grades 4 through 11. In March,

a teacher from a charter school named

ECOT, where students learn on the

internet, brought a number of her stu-

dents for a performance of “A Woman

of Firsts --- Dr. Mary Walker”.

We have also hosted several meet-

ings with high school teachers who are

participating in our pilot project for our

First Ladies curriculum. The current unit

being tested in the high schools covers

Abigail Adams and Abigail Fillmore. Both

Abigails were prolifi c readers and very

interested in education, which made

them appropriate subjects for this pilot

produced during the inaugural year of

our Education and Research Center.

In May, we hosted the Northeastern

Ohio Career Education Center Council.

Thirty-two teachers met to plan self-

esteem, goal and career classroom

opportunities for 95 Ohio school dis-

tricts. Their work complies with state

standards for mandated career units for

grades Kindergarten through 12.

10 11

N LNewly Acquired Collection of

Artifacts

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Our historian, researcher and archi-

vist Craig Schermer recently purchased

an outstanding 70-piece collection of

First Lady items, including dresses,

shoes, books and letters. The collec-

tion was started in the 1790s by the

Van Courtland family, who were socially

prominent in the Hudson River region

north of New York. The collection was

continued by family members through

three generations. The last member of

the Van Courtland family, who died in

the 1930s, stipulated in her will that,

if the collection was ever to be sold, it

must be sold in its entirety. When the

Van Courtland estate needed repairs,

the complete collection was sold to a

collector. After changing hands several

times, it was sold to our historian, Craig

Schermer.

The gowns in the collection date

from the end of the 18th century through

the 1920s and include those belonging

to Martha Washington, Dolley Madison,

Louisa Adams, Julia Tyler, Mary Lincoln,

Frances Cleveland and Lucy Hayes.

Two books with the signature of Mary

Lincoln on the fl yleaf are in the collec-

tion, as well as her parasol and a fan

presented to Mrs. Lincoln from a min-

ister from Prussia. Mr. Schermer has

agreed to permanently loan the entire

collection to our Library.

In addition to this phenomenal new

collection, original gowns worn by each

of the fi rst ladies from Ohio are now on

display in the main exhibit room. The

gowns and fi rst ladies include: .Anna

Tuthill Symmes Harrison (1773-1864)

- a brown silk walking dress from about

1840 with a silk-fringed shawl; Lucy

Ware Webb Hayes (1831-18898) - a

long-waisted gold evening reception

dress with a high neckline and train from

1876; Helen “Nellie” Herron Taft (1861

– 1943 )- a 1903 court reception gown

worn in Manila, featuring handmade

lace and buttons, mother of pearl and

cut steel beads; Florence Kling Harding

(1860 –1924)- the dress she wore for

her husband’s funeral in 1923, along with

the hat and shoes; Caroline Scott Har-

rison (1832 – 1892)- an evening recep-

tion gown of coral and white silk with lace

sleeves; Lucretia Rudolph Garfi eld (1832

– 1928- celery green and white silk after-

noon dress worn during the campaign of

1880; and Ida Saxton McKinley (1847 –

1907)- a red and black silk dinner dress,

worn in Columbus, Ohio 1893 – 1894.

Lynne Cheney, Cokie Roberts

Visit Library

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

Lynne Cheney, author, educator

and wife of Vice President Dick Cheney

and a Senior Fellow at the American

Enterprise Institute, visited the Nation-

al First Ladies’ Library on December

3, 2003 to sign copies of her latest

book “A Is for Abigail”. She also took

time to speak to about 80 fourth and

fi fth grade students about the im-

portance of knowing America’s his-

tory and gave the students a signed

copy of her book.

Hundreds of people waited patiently

as Mrs. Cheney autographed more than

1200 books. It is the second children’s’

history book and seventh book overall

that Cheney has authored. The Abigail

in her new book is Abigail Adams, wife

of President John Adams, but the book

lists other fi rst ladies and women who

have helped shape our country.

Proceeds from the sale of her book

are donated to charitable organizations

that promote history,

On May 17, 2004 the Library

hosted Cokie Roberts, bestselling au-

thor, ABC News political commentator

and NPR news

analyst, for a book sign-

ing for her latest book,

“Founding Mothers”.

Approximately 250

people took the op-

portunity to meet Mrs. Roberts

and have their books personally

autographed. Cokie also toured

both the Saxton House and the

Education and Research

Center during her visit.

“Founding Mothers”

tells the exciting stories of

those courageous women

who worked passionately for

the foundation of our country.

In describing these women,

Cokie Roberts says, “What

they did – with great hardship,

courage, pluck, sadness, joy,

humor, energy and ingenuity – is

what women do. They put one

foot in front of another in remark-

able circumstances; they carried

on. They truly are our Founding

Mothers.”

Both Mrs. Cheney’s “A is for

Abigail” and Mrs. Robert’s “Found-

ing Mothers” are currently available for

sale at the Library.

12

National First Ladies’ Library

205 Market Avenue South

Canton OH 44702

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. Postage

PAIDCanton, Ohio

Permit No. 1064

Then ThereWere Two...