Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center

Infobox presidential library
name = Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center

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location = Fremont, Ohio, USA
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dedication_date = 1916
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named_for = Rutherford B. Hayes
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manager = Hayes Presidential Center, Inc.Before Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the system of Presidential Libraries, the Rutherford B. Hayes Center Library was opened in 1916 and is therefore the first actual Presidential Library and the one of only three for a presidency of the 19th century. Now known as the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, the Spiegel Grove estate in Fremont, Ohio encompasses the Hayes home named Spiegel Grove, residence to several generations, the Museum and the Library. The Center is supported by the private foundations "Ohio Historical Society" and "Hayes Presidential Center Inc."

The library holds the 12,000 volume personal library of Rutherford B. Hayes as well as materials of his military and political career, particularly of his presidency 1877-81. The library contains by now 70,000 volumes plus newspapers and journals from the time of the Civil War to the eve of World War I.

The library was built by the State of Ohio in 1916, and was expanded in 1922 and in 1968.citation|title=PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/66000624.pdf National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: "Spiegel Grove," The Rutherford B. Hayes Estate / Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center] |32 KB|date=1984 |author=Joseph Scott Mendinghall |publisher=National Park Service and PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/66000624.pdf "Accompanying nine photos, from 1877, 1880, and 1974"] |32 KB]

Visitors

The library is open to the public and there is no admission fee to use it. There is an admission fee to visit the home and museum. It is opened Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for holidays. The reading room is on the second floor of the building. Disabled persons should announce their visit in advance to receive necessary assistance. Requests for limited research are processed against a research fee. Address: Librarian, Spiegel Grove, Fremont, Ohio, 43420.

Uniqueness

The library has continued the special interests of Rutherford B. Hayes and concentrates first on the history of the U.S. from 1850 to 1917, especially the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Spanish-American War, rail road, education, black history and Indian/government relations. Second, the history of Ohio and the Sandusky River Valley and the Northwest are of interest. There is a large genealogical collection. The library does not only contain history books on nearly every county of Ohio but also on counties of many other states of the U.S. The library continues expanding its materials on these topics and donations and bequests are always welcome. The materials are also made available on-line.

The center became national news in 1996 when the Associated Press reported that a real estate company in Florida sent a computerized letter to the Hayes Center, apparently inviting the former president to examine the possibility of buying a condominium: "Rutherford, we're excited for you!" it read. The director of the center graciously turned down the offer for the long-dead President Hayes.

ee also

*Spiegel Grove

References

* [http://www.rbhayes.org/library.htm "Facts about the Library"]

External links

* [http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/ Official site]
* [http://wbgu.org/community/documentary/Hayes/PresCenter_index.html The Hayes Presidential Center: Revisiting the Past] , WBGU-PBS docuemtary