Get ready for fall and Halloween season at Hayes Presidential
Learn about colonial history on Saturdays, see the trees of Spiegel Grove, enjoy spooky good Halloween-themed events and experience Civil War life this fall at the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. September and October are filled with educational and fun events.
History Roundtable with Mike Gilbert
From the signers of the Declaration of Independence to under-told stories of men and women behind the American Revolution to the downfall of Alexander Hamilton, History Roundtable will have a colonial American focus this fall.
The popular series, led by retired educator Mike Gilbert, returns for its 13th season and will focus on topics highlighting early American History in celebration of the United States’ semiquincentennial celebration this year. Gilbert researches each topic and presents fascinating stories of the past.
History Roundtable will take place in person. Pre-recorded virtual sessions also will be offered for those who cannot attend in person.
Six sessions are offered on Saturdays in September and October. Sessions are from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Admission – whether in person or virtually through the recordings – is $5 per session or $25 for all six. Pre-registration and pre-payment for both in-person and virtual sessions are required.
Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted. To register and pay, contact Julie Mayle, curator of manuscripts, at [email protected]. There are no refunds.
History Roundtable is sponsored by ProMedica Memorial Hospital.
Spiegel Grove Squires vintage base ball
See America’s favorite pastime as it was played in its early days by watching the vintage base ball team at the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, the Spiegel Grove Squires.
Home games are played on the lawn behind the Hayes Home, and admission is free. A refreshment tent with snacks and drinks is also available.
The Squires bring to life the sport when it became organized with standard rules of play for clubs. Back then, base ball was spelled with two words.
The Squires are volunteers who have studied and learned the methods of play used in the 1860s, including playing bare-handed. Players are called ballists, and they wear period-style uniforms and adopt the language of 19th-century base ball during their matches, as games were called during the 1860s.
The Squires are sponsored by Whirlpool Corp.
Remaining home games:
- Sunday, Sept. 13 — 1 p.m. with the Sandusky County Raptors Special Olympics softball team at home.
- Sunday, Sept. 27 — 1 p.m. vs. the Akron Black Stockings at home.
Public invited to free program, exhibit opening for ‘Warrior Dogs & Faithful Companions’
The public is invited to a free program and exhibit opening of hand-carved military canine sculptures in honor of veterans’ sacrifices on Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums.
“Warrior Dogs & Faithful Companions” features the signature wood forms of Ohio artist James Mellick, who will give a talk during the event about his sculptures and their meaning.
The event begins at 6 p.m. in the museum. The schedule is:
- 6 p.m. — Doors open, and guests gather in the museum auditorium. Light refreshments will be served.
- 6:30 to 7 p.m. — James Mellick gives a presentation about his work in the auditorium.
- 7 to 7:30 p.m. — Visitors can view the exhibit in the museum rotunda.
Due to space capacity, attendance is limited to 50, and advance RSVPs are required. RSVP to Meghan Wonderly-Kolbe at 419-332-2081, ext. 237, by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25. Details here.This exhibit is sponsored by the Art & Kate Doust Charitable Fund. “Warrior Dogs & Faithful Companions” is part of Hayes Presidential’s programing for America’s semiquincentennial, or 250th birthday, being celebrated throughout 2026. Partial funding for America 250 events is provided by Albrechta & Liebold, Ltd., Attorneys at Law.
Special exhibit ‘Warrior Dogs & Faithful Companions’ to be open throughout October
A moving exhibit of hand-carved military canine sculptures honoring veterans’ sacrifices will be displayed throughout October at the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums as part of the institution’s America 250 celebration.
“Warrior Dogs & Faithful Companions” features the signature wood forms of Ohio artist James Mellick, whose works pay tribute to the special bonds veterans have with their canine service counterparts. Each of the nine dogs in the installation represents a different military campaign, as well as the injuries that their human counterparts endure.
“President Hayes viewed his military service as a defining event in his life and would spend his later years advocating for the rights of veterans,” said Julie Mayle, Hayes Presidential curator of manuscripts. “Leading by his example, Hayes Presidential continues to honor our nation’s veterans. We are excited to have Spiegel Grove as the backdrop for these unique works of art and for the community to experience them firsthand.”
This exhibit is sponsored by the Art & Kate Doust Charitable Fund. “Warrior Dogs & Faithful Companions” is part of Hayes Presidential’s programing for America’s semiquincentennial, or 250th birthday, being celebrated throughout 2026. Partial funding for America 250 events is provided by Albrechta & Liebold, Ltd., Attorneys at Law.
Special outdoor exhibit: “Eyes of Freedom"
Special outdoor exhibit, 'Eyes of Freedom,' a traveling memorial dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of all who answer our nation’s call will be on display at Spiegel Grove, the grounds of the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. Access to the exhibit is free.
The exhibit is comprised of nine panels and the Silent Battle bronze sculpture. During spring 2005, “L”-Co. or Lima Company was deployed to Iraq. Twenty-two Marines and one Navy Corpsman were killed in action between May and August of that year. The news of their losses prompted spontaneous expressions of compassion for the families of the fallen and the surviving Marines.
Anita Miller, a Columbus artist who had no prior connection to the Marines describes her experience…“I awoke in the middle of the night with a start and hovering in front of me I saw life-sized paintings, displayed in a circle. People were milling around them leaving messages of love in the boots at the base of the portraits.
Suddenly, the people disappeared, and a small crew of workers came in and dismantled the paintings as if they were moving it to a new location. I knew it was a traveling tribute to the fallen of Lima Company and I felt somehow, I was being asked to create it.” Two and a half years later, after meeting and working with the families of the fallen, The Lima Company Memorial was unveiled in the Ohio Statehouse and was displayed before it began touring the country. To date, this exhibition has been displayed in 34 states and more than 360 events.
"Eyes of Freedom" is part of Hayes Presidential’s programing for America’s semiquincentennial, or 250th birthday, being celebrated throughout 2026. Partial funding for America 250 events is provided by Albrechta & Liebold, Ltd., Attorneys at Law.
Last Tree Tour of the season
Enjoy the last tree tour of the season on Saturday, Oct. 3. The tour departs the museum entrance at 10 a.m. and is a standard tree tour with some colonial history sprinkled in for America 250. Tickets for non-members are $10 for adults, $7 for ages 6-18, free for ages 5 and younger. Hayes Presidential members can enjoy this tour for free. Details and tickets here.
Tree tours are sponsored by Dr. Mary and Charles Wonderly. Tree tours are part of Hayes Presidential’s year-long America 250 celebration. Partial funding for America 250 events is provided by Albrechta & Liebold, Ltd., Attorneys at Law.
Civil War Winter Camp
A military band playing on horseback, M
odel-T rides and a fife and drum corps are among the popular offerings returning to the annual Civil War Winter Camp on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums.
The 2nd Cavalry Brigade Brass Band, which plays on horseback, will return for its second year at the event after its wildly popular debut last year at Civil War Winter Camp.
The event includes performances by Camp Chase Fifes and Drums and guitarist Steve Ball, Model-T rides by Firelands Timeless Ts, tours of the winter camp with Civil War reenactors demonstrating what life was like in camps like those President Rutherford B. Hayes’ regiment kept and presentations by the 5th U.S. Colored Troops and military firing demonstrations. There will also be reenactors portraying Civil War veterans in the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans’ organization of which President Hayes was a member, on the Hayes Home verandah.
Kids’ activities — such as a traveling trunk of Civil War replica items, games from the era, Lincoln logs, a photo area and more — will be available from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor’s root beer stand and Jimmy G’s Barbecue food truck also will be on site to sell refreshments during the event.
Tours of the winter camp require paid tickets. Tickets for non-members are $10 ages 13 and older, $7 ages 6-12 and free for ages 5 and younger. Tickets for Hayes Presidential Library & Museums members are $8 for ages 13 and older, $5 for ages 6-12 and free for ages 5 and younger.
An evening with "Frankenstein" author Mary Shelley
This Halloween season, spend an evening in the Victorian mansion of President Rutherford and First Lady Lucy Hayes with the woman who created one of history’s most enduring science fiction and horror novels.
A living history presenter will portray Mary Shelley, author of “Frankenstein,” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, and Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the historic Hayes Home. Attendees will be treated to an intimate evening of learning about the woman whose most famous work spawned numerous modern movies and spinoff stories but was so much more than the famous monster synonymous with her novel.
Shelley was a teenage mother, behind-the-scenes support of social reform, romantic and scholar. During this program, experienced living history presenter Susan Marie Frontczak describe how Shelley blended themes and events from her own life with a vivid imagination to construct one of the world’s most beloved novels.
Tickets are $35 for non-members and $30 for Hayes Presidential Library & Museums members. They are available online below until the event begins each night. Members will need to log in to receive their discount. They also will be available at the museum front desk, pending availability. Details and tickets here.
Spirit Stories at Spiegel Grove
Enjoy a spine-tingling evening at Spiegel Grove by walking the dark wooded grounds by lantern light and stopping in the historic Hayes Home during Spirit Stories at Spiegel Grove on Friday, Oct. 30.
At each stop, hear creepy tales of ghosts, legends and other-worldly phenomena throughout American history for America’s 250th birthday this year. Warm yourself by the campfire and enjoy popcorn, apple cider and hot chocolate.
Lantern tours are offered from 7 to 10 p.m., with the last tour leaving at 9 p.m., and last about an hour. Tours depart every 10 minutes. Tickets required and are $15 for non-members and $10 for Hayes Presidential members.
