Road construction is taking place on Hayes Avenue outside Spiegel Grove, grounds of the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. The property entrance, located on Buckland Avenue, remains open. - 
Due to the forecast of heavy rain, the tree tour scheduled for Saturday, May 23, is canceled. - Literary Club of Cincinnati talk
Category: Events
Date & Time: Thursday, April 10, 2025. 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Event Description
Rutherford B. Hayes was an avid reader throughout his life and owned a personal collection of more than 8,000 books.
As a young lawyer, he joined the newly formed Literary Club of Cincinnati in 1850. The Literary Club still exists today and is the oldest organization of its kind in the United States.
During a talk at on Thursday, April 10, at the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, Robert Vitz, the literary club historian, will discuss the club’s founding, highlights of its 175-year history, notable members and guests and what the club does today.
The talk is at 6:30 p.m. in the museum auditorium. Admission is free.
This event is being offered as a complement to Hayes Presidential’s latest special exhibit, “Inside President Hayes’ Library.”
The exhibit explores the authors and titles that shaped and inspired Hayes and includes Hayes’ books ranging from works of Shakespeare to Mark Twain to Harriet Beecher Stowe to research titles on the law and the history of slavery. It includes letters from authors to Hayes, as well as prints Hayes collected of his favorite authors.
There is also a reading nook that includes graphic novels of books that Hayes might have read for kids and an area where kids – and adults – can make bookmarks.
“Inside the President Hayes’ Library” is on display through June 30, 2026. It is sponsored by the Randolph J. & Estelle M. Dorn Foundation.
Those who wish to see the exhibit before the literary club talk can arrive between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 10. Access is included with regular admission. Hayes Presidential member are admitted for free.
For admission prices and hours on other dates, visit https://www.rbhayes.org/visit-us/visitor-information/.
Hayes Presidential is America’s first presidential library and the forerunner of the federal presidential library system. It is partially funded by the state of Ohio and affiliated with the Ohio History Connection. Hayes Presidential is located at Spiegel Grove on Buckland Avenue.
For information, call 419-332-2081, or visit rbhayes.org. Like Hayes Presidential on Facebook and follow on Instagram and X at rbhayespres and on Bluesky at rbhayespres.bsky.social.