Hayes Presidential dedicates fully completed entrance with ribbon-cutting
Lee Koenig’s parents lived very different lives than President Rutherford and First Lady Lucy Hayes, but they had some similarities and shared values.
Lee’s father, German immigrant William Koenig lost his father at a young age and married a woman, Clara, he loved dearly, who was an orphan. The couple inherited Clara’s home in Fremont and built a happy life and successful business, Crown Battery, which is still a major local company today.
Rutherford Hayes’ father died right before Rutherford was born. Rutherford married the love of his life, Lucy, whose father died when she was a toddler. They inherited the Hayes Home and retired to Fremont and their estate at Spiegel Grove, the place they loved best.
“Even though on the surface they have absolutely nothing in common, one was a president, and one was somebody who had a modest life in Fermont, the impact of family probably made them the success they were in their fields,” said Lee’s daughter, Amy Koenig said.
That’s likely one of the many reasons that Lee, who passed away last year, was the major donor to the decorative masonry wall at the new, two-way entrance at the Spiegel Grove, the grounds of the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. Amy spoke during the ribbon cutting and dedication for the $226,000 finished project on Friday, May 9.
The Chamber of Commerce of Sandusky County joined with Hayes Presidential to have the ribbon cutting.
The entrance project came to fruition after 8 years of planning and work on the part of numerous agencies. After the two-way driving entrance off Buckland Avenue was opened in 2023, the ground needed to settle for about year before the decorative stonework could be installed. The lighting and masonry work began in summer 2024 and was completed last fall.
Lee donated $200,000 toward the cost, and a plaque honoring his parents is built into the one of the walls on either side of the driving entrance.
The remaining $26,000 cost for the masonry was funded through bequests from the estates of Mary Shaffer, Dwight Wise and Richard Geyman and a pledge by Bob Moyer, and a grounds plaque honors their contributions.
In addition to his monetary support, Lee was very involved in the design and concept of the wall. He suggested using the granite, which came from Ray Murray Farms, a local property in Jackson Township outside Fremont. The wall also includes lettering that says, “Rutherford B. Hayes and 19th President of the United States,” as well as lighted cubes with the presidential seal and Hayes Presidential’s logo.
“It’s because of him that the lettering is on the front of the wall,” said Christie Weininger, Hayes Presidential executive director. “He loved the cubes. He loved the design. He said that ‘It doesn’t say that Hayes was the 19th president of the United States. It has to be there somewhere in the design.’”
Lee, who took over running Crown Battery after his parents, was very involved in Fremont and loved to build things. That, combined with his wife, Caryl, taking him to Spiegel Grove and introducing him to her love of American History and the Hayes Home, also drew him to the project.
“He loved building things that were tangible that he could get his hands dirty and see,” Amy said. “This project really spoke to that.”
Beth Crawford, whose family owns Ray Murray Farms, also spoke during the ceremony. The farm has a couple ties to Spiegel Grove.
Spiegel Grove and the farm are both on the Harrison Trail that U.S. soldiers used to travel between Fort Stephenson in Fremont and Fort Meigs in Perrysburg during the War of 1812. The trail was also known as the Sandusky-Scioto Trail used by Native Americans.
William J. Havens, great-great-grandfather of John Havens, Hayes Presidential building and grounds superintendent, homesteaded on Ray Murray Farms.
When Ray and Lois Murray bought the farm in 1967, they didn’t realize there would be rocks of all shapes and sizes all over the fields. The kids, cousins, family and friends constantly picked them up and put them in out-of-the-way piles to keep them from inhibiting crop growth and damaging the farm equipment.
“To anyone here who has ever been assigned the thankless task of picking up rocks on our family farm…perhaps you will agree with me that the average stone by itself seems unworthy of praise,” Crawford said. “However, today we see that those rocks assembled into the newly constructed walls of entrance of the Rutherford B. Hayes center, you see that collectively those same stones have become a thing of beauty that offers a warm welcome to all who pass through when entering beautiful Spiegel Grove.”
The decorative masonry walls are the last piece of the two-way entrance project.
In 2023, the driving entrance was moved from the corner of Hayes and Buckland Avenues farther down on Buckland Avenue and changed from a one-way entrance to a two-way entrance. This enhanced safety on a few levels.
The old entrance was near the intersection of three streets, which caused some traffic confusion. Because the old entrance was one-way, it was sometimes difficult for vehicles to tell if someone was entering of coming out and which vehicle should go first. Additionally, it was sometimes a tight squeeze for tour buses.
The project also included repaving of the driveways at Spiegel Grove, which improved the experience for all visitors, and updated and improved bus and RV parking.
Involved agencies in the entire project, from the two-way entrance work to the decorative masonry and landscaping were Ohio History Connection, Ohio Historic Preservation Office, #4 ODOT, M&B Blacktop, Jarrett Tree Service, S&S Excavating, The Collaborative, Quality Masonry, Toledo Sign, Valley Electric, Corso’s Landscaping, Whispering Meadows Garden Club and Hayes Presidential Library & Museums Building and Grounds staff.
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.