Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums
When the Civil War broke out, attorney Rutherford B. Hayes declared he would rather die fighting to hold the United States together and end slavery, than stay safe at home. At age thirty-nine, Hayes was a devoted husband and father, yet he immediately enlisted in the Union Army. Skills honed in the courtroom and on the battlefield led him into national politics. Hayes served in Congress, then as governor of Ohio. In 1877, he became the 19th president of the United States after one of the most contested elections in US history. In an era when Americans experienced rapid social change, Rutherford and his wife Lucy used their public platform to champion the causes of the working class, but not without controversy. A visit to the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums at Spiegel Grove, the former Hayes estate, is an authentic experience. Spiegel Grove includes the couple’s 31-room Victorian mansion with original architectural details and furnishings, a museum with two floors of exhibits and a presidential library, and the Hayes tomb. A mile of paved walking trails winds through the tranquil 25-acre wooded site, which is an accredited arboretum.
The museum’s main entrance is fully integrated for visitors of all accessibility levels with slopes for those in wheelchairs or with walkers or strollers and steps. Inside the museum, there is an elevator that will take visitors to the different levels of the museum and to the presidential research library, which is on the third floor.
In the Hayes Home, there is an accessible lift for wheelchairs and walkers into the home, and the first floor is accessible. There is an elevator to the second floor that fits one person at a time, and that person does need to push the 2 button to get to the second floor. The home guide will help them into the elevator and then meet them on the second floor. This elevator does not accommodate wheelchairs. For those in wheelchairs, there is a video of the second floor they can watch in the Breakfast Room, which is a behind-the-scenes area that not all guests get to see. (Those who do not wish to use the elevator may also watch this video.)
Please note: The majority of the tour takes place on the first floor.
Handicapped parking is available, as well as RV and bus parking.
There is a mile of paved trails.
Written tours of the Hayes Home are offered for those with hearing impairment. Those who need visibility-related or other accommodations are asked to contact Hayes Presidential 72 hours before their visit to make special arrangements for their visit. Requests received within 72 hours of their visit will be handled to the best of Hayes Presidential’s ability.
