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ATTENTION MEMBERS: NewspaperArchives is experiencing difficulties and is offline. We hope to be back online soon. Hayes Presidential partners with America250-Ohio, presidential sites on free, virtual program
Ohio is the “State of Eight” presidents — seven who were native Ohioans and one who has deep connections to Ohio.
The Hayes Presidential Library & Museums is partnering with America250-Ohio and presidential sites from across Ohio and Indiana to tell the stories of each of these leaders through a free, virtual program taking place on Wednesdays throughout March.
State of Eight: Presidential Leadership Forged in Ohio is offered from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on March 4, 11, 18 and 25.
Registration is required. To register, visit https://america250-ohio.org/event/state-of-eight-presidential-leadership-forged-in-ohio/.
The schedule of topics is:
- March 4 – William Henry Harrison and Ulysses S. Grant
- March 11 – Rutherford B. Hayes and James A. Garfield
- March 18 – Benjamin Harrison and Warren G. Harding
- March 25 – William McKinley and William Howard Taft
Each presenter will discuss how the presidents shaped and were shaped by events of their eras, which impacted their presidential terms and American history. Participants will hear the personal stories of these leaders and their families in and out of the White House, how they thought about the founding of the nation and influences from their youth that set them on their legendary path.
Additionally, each presenter will connect the discussion to America250-Ohio’s theme for March – Music and Entertainment. There will be time for questions at the end of each program.
Lisa Ice-Jones, executive director of William Henry Harrison’s Grouseland in Vincennes, Indiana, will discuss President William Henry Harrison.
His true legacy lies not in his death, but in his revolutionary influence on American politics and expansion. Through his pivotal military career, his role as an architect of the Indiana territory and its statehood, and his innovation of the modern presidential campaign, his influence fundamentally shaped the American political landscape, leaving a powerful and lasting legacy that resonates with contemporary issues of leadership, succession and political identity.
The Harrisons’ family life is equally compelling as William and Anna both originated from educated, aristocratic families. The privileges they enjoyed did not prepare them for a large portion of their lives that were spent in the wilderness. Participants will hear how they used their upbringing and commitment to the country and its needs to navigate through success and failure, accomplishment and loss and even fame.
Three speakers will discuss various parts of President Grant’s life.
Christine Tailer, The Land of U.S. Grant Board of Trustees member and docent at the Grant Boyhood Home and Schoolhouse, will talk about Grant’s childhood. The Land of U.S. Grant comprises Grant’s birthplace in Point Pleasant, Ohio and boyhood home and schoolhouse in Georgetown, Ohio.
Dr. Ned S. Lodwick, DVM, president of The Land of U.S. Grant, will speak about Grant’s Civil War Service. Stan Purdy, president of The Land of U.S. Grant, will speak about Grant’s presidential years.
Joshua Dubbert, historian for the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums in Fremont, Ohio, will discuss President Hayes.
Hayes served as a defender of freedom-seeking people during the 1850s, a military leader during all four years of the Civil War, U.S. Congressman, Governor of Ohio and U.S. president. Though a proud Ohioan, Hayes had roots in Vermont and Connecticut, and his great-grandfather served in the Revolutionary War. This program discusses the life and political career of the 19th president, including a look at the contested election of 1876, and touches on Hayes’ post-presidency work, which is rivaled only by Jimmy Carter in its scope and accomplishments.
Alan Gephardt, who works at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, Ohio, will discuss President Garfield.
Jennifer Capps, vice president of curatorship and exhibition at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis, will discuss President Benjamin Harrison.
Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president of the United States, was a leader shaped by service, duty and an unwavering belief in the promise of American democracy. Born In Ohio into a family with a long tradition of civic engagement, Harrison built a life rooted in principle rather than ambition – first as a respected Indianapolis attorney, then as a Civil War officer and eventually as a national statesman.
Sherry Hall, retired site manager of the Harding Presidential Sites in Marion, Ohio, will discuss President Harding.
From small-town newspaperman to president of the United States, Warren G. Harding relied upon the writings of the founding fathers and the nation's history itself to set America on a new path forward after a devastating world war.
Kim Kenney, executive director of the McKinley Library & Museum in Canton, Ohio, will discuss President McKinley.
Although McKinley’s second term as the 25th president was cut short by an assassin’s bullet, the legacy of his character endures. He was a devoted husband and grieving father; his political career was free from scandal; and he had friends on both sides of the aisle.
McKinley led the nation during the Spanish-American War, which expanded U.S. influence overseas and set the tone for foreign policy into the 20th and 21st centuries. His tragic death led to the creation of the Secret Service as America knows it today.
Ruth Horstman, education technician at the William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Cincinnati, will discuss President Taft.
This program is in partnership with William Henry Harrison’s Grouseland, Land of U.S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, James A. Garfield National Historic Site, Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, William Howard Taft National Historic Site, Warren G. Harding Presidential Sites and America 250-Ohio.
About Hayes Presidential
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 at rbhayespres and on Bluesky at rbhayespres.bsky.social.
About America250-Ohio
In 2026, the United States is celebrating its semiquincentennial, which is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Each state is creating a celebration and commemoration of this anniversary to reflect the unique character and contributions of each state to the nation over the past 250 years. Ohio is fully embracing this opportunity. The Ohio Commission for the Semiquincentennial (aka America 250-Ohio Commission or AM 250- OH) was created by the Ohio legislature and launched on March 1, 2022. The charge of the Commission is to “…to plan, encourage, develop, and coordinate the commemoration of the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United States and the impact of Ohioans on the nation’s past, present, and future.” — Ohio Revised Code (149.309). More information can be found at America250-Ohio.org.