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In 2026, the United States is celebrating its 250th birthday. Across the country and across Ohio, celebrations and special events are taking place. The Hayes Presidential Library & Museums — the estate, home, library, museum and burial site of the 19th U.S. president and first lady — is the perfect place to celebrate America's rich history.

 

Here are the offerings Hayes Presidential has planned for America 250. This list will be updated as more events are added. 

 

 

Special exhibit: “Welcome to the World’s Fair: Philadelphia 1876”

Friday, March 27, 2026 - Wednesday, June 30, 2027

 

A century after a handful of colonists declared their independence from Great Britain, the growing United States celebrated its success at the democratic experiment in grand fashion.

The Philadelphia Centennial Exposition was a world’s fair that demonstrated the young American republic’s innovations in science, agriculture, industry and the arts. The 6-month long event attracted prominent speakers from across the country, including the Republican candidate for president, Rutherford B. Hayes. 

With the United States celebrating 250 years of the American experiment, the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums remembers the 150th anniversary of the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition with the special exhibit “Welcome to the World’s Fair: Philadelphia 1876.”

The exhibit shares the history of the exposition, discuss its impact on American culture and society and display artifacts from the exposition. Accompanying the Centennial exhibit, the museum will also feature a gallery of artifacts from its collection from the American Revolution in homage to 250 years of American independence.

“As we celebrate America 250, this exhibit is interesting because it gives us a look into how people have celebrated U.S. independence in the past, and it gives us a glimpse into a grand spectacle that we don’t really see much anymore,” said Kevin Moore, Hayes Presidential curator of artifacts.

Read more here: https://www.rbhayes.org/news/2026/03/26/general/special-exhibit-welcome-to-the-world-s-fair-philadelphia-1876-open-through-june-30-2027/

This exhibit is sponsored by the Randolph J. & Estelle M. Dorn Foundation.

 

 

 

Tree Tours

Monthly: May - August, also October

See the many trees of Spiegel Grove and learn about their types and history during a variety of tree tours offered throughout the spring and summer.

This year, tree tour guide John Havens, Hayes Presidential Library & Museums building and grounds superintendent, will dress in colonial garb and add some early American tree history to the tours in honor of America’s semiquincentennial, or 250th birthday this year.

Tours last about an hour and cover different trees and topics ranging from giant trees to trees that President Rutherford B. Hayes and his descendants named in honor of people they admired. These tours enhance the experience of walking at Spiegel Grove, an official arboretum and estate of the president and his wife, First Lady Lucy Hayes.

Schedule and tickets here: https://www.rbhayes.org/news/2026/04/02/general/tour-spiegel-grove-arboretum-learn-about-tree-history-with-colonial-facts-sprinkled-in-for-america-250-with-tree-tours/. 

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.

 

 

America 250 Events, Picnic and Independence Day Concert

July 4, 2026 • 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

 

America turns 250 on Saturday, July 4, and the site of America’s first presidential library has a day full of old-fashioned events and its annual Independence Day Concert to celebrate.

Enjoy a day of nostalgic fun with a picnic or food truck fare; the concert performed by the Toledo Concert Band, featuring members of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra; deeply discounted admission of $2.50 for a site pass to tour the Hayes Home and museum; games and crafts; historical talks and more.

The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for self-guided tours. Hayes Home tours begin at 9:30 a.m., will last a half hour and cover the first floor of the home only. The tours will include information about President Rutherford B. Hayes’ ancestors and their ties to colonial and Revolutionary War era history.

The $2.50 site passes include admission to the museum and a timed Hayes Home tour. A limited number of admissions can purchased in advance below:

 

Hayes Home/Site pass tickets Non-members

 

Hayes Home/Site pass ticket Members

 

The rest will be sold to walk-ins the day of the event.

Those who wish to tour just the home or museum can choose to do just one, but the price is still $2.50. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums members are admitted for free.

All visitors touring the Hayes Home, including advance ticket holders, must check in at the museum front desk.

Special America 250 events are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hayes Presidential is one of America 250-Ohio’s picnic sites, and guests are invited to bring a picnic or purchase food from one of the food trucks that will be on site to enjoy on the grounds. Food trucks are Jimmy G’s barbecue,  Frozen Paradice, Tim’s Bar and Grill Food Trailer and the Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor Traveling Root Beer Stand.

The USS Spiegel Grove Association, whose members are U.S. Navy sailors who served aboard the ship “USS Spiegel Grove,” will also dedicate a new exhibit area for the ship’s bell, which is currently on display in the museum Weapons Room. The ship was purposely sunk off Florida to create an artificial reef.

The association has been raising money to create a base for the bell, which sits on the floor in the weapons room. That base and two plaques will be dedicated at noon in the museum.

The day’s events will culminate with the annual Independence Day Concert, performed by the Toledo Concert Band from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on the verandah of the Historic Hayes Home. In a Fourth of July tradition, the “1812 Overture” will be punctuated with cannon fire.

 Bring a chair or blanket for seating on the spacious Hayes Home lawn. Admission to the picnic, games, talks and concert is free.

The concert is sponsored by Crown Battery Mfg. Co., Hal & Diane Hawk and the Ohio Arts Council. Partial funding for America 250 events is by Albrechta & Liebold, Ltd., Attorneys at Law. 

Parking is on-site weather permitting. Overflow parking is available on the street and in ProMedica Memorial Hospital’s parking lots at Buildings A and B, located at 605 Third Ave.

Spiegel Grove is a short walk to the east of the hospital parking lots. A golf cart will be available to shuttle people around Spiegel Grove. 

The full schedule of events is as follows:

  • 9 a.m. – Museum opens
  • 9:30 a.m. – First Hayes Home tour begins. Tours last a half hour and are of the first floor only. All visitors touring the Hayes Home, including advance ticket holders, must check in at the museum front desk.
  • 10 - 10:30 a.m. – Presentation: “Life in Colonial America” by Josh Dubbert, Hayes Presidential historian. History Lab in the museum lower level, included with regular admission, Hayes Presidential members admitted for free. In today’s landscape of gas stations, strip malls, fast food restaurants and all other manner of stops along the highways of America, it can be hard for us to conceive that when the first white settlers who voyaged across the ocean to this continent they met a vast wilderness populated by a multitude of Indigenous cultures and without any of the conveniences of home. This program looks at the evolution of daily life in the colonies from the arrival of Columbus to the formation of the United States.
  • 10:30 – 11 a.m. – Presentation: “Signers of the Declaration of Independence” by Josh Dubbert, Hayes Presidential historian. History Lab in the museum lower level, included with regular admission, Hayes Presidential members admitted for free. In 1776, 56 delegates representing each of the 13 colonies signed what would become one of the most daring, revolutionary and complex documents in human history. Had the Revolutionary War been lost, the Declaration of Independence would have served as a death warrant for these men. In this program, several of these American revolutionaries will be discussed, highlighting some of the well-known and lesser known of the signers and their roles before and after the winning of independence for the United States.
  • 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Tea samples by Summer Kitchen Girls available in the Museum Store area. Sample historic teas and teas created exclusively for Hayes Presidential made by The Summer Kitchen Girls in Helena. Tea and accessories also will be available for purchase.
  • 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Kids’ activities in four locations: auditorium, museum south side yard, grassy area behind Hayes Home and Rose Garden Path
  • 11:30 a.m. – Homecoming Picnic begins, food trucks begin serving.
  • 11:30 - noon – Presentation: “Life in Colonial America” by Josh Dubbert, Hayes Presidential historian. History Lab in the museum lower level, included with regular admission, Hayes Presidential members admitted for free.
  • Noon - 12:30 p.m. - Presentation: “Signers of the Declaration of Independence” by Josh Dubbert, Hayes Presidential historian. History Lab in the museum lower level, included with regular admission, Hayes Presidential members admitted for free.
  • 12:30 to 1 p.m. – Unveiling of the USS Spiegel Grove Bell Exhibit, museum lower level.
  • 1 – 4 p.m. – Golf cart shuttle available
  • 1:15 - 1:30 p.m. – President Hayes living history presenter gives speech on America’s founding, speakers’ platform, museum south side yard
  • 1:40 - 1:50 p.m. – Christie Weininger, Hayes Presidential executive director, introduces members of USS Spiegel Grove Association, who will read the Declaration of Independence
  • 1:50 - 2 p.m. – Weininger makes welcoming remarks and introduces President Hayes living history presenter, who will introduce the Toledo Concert Band
  • 2 – 3 p.m. – Independence Day Concert
  • 4:30 m. – Last house tour of the day begins. 

 

Special exhibit: 'Warrior Dogs & Faithful Companions'

Oct. 1 - 31, 2026

 

This exhibit showcases Ohio artist James Mellick’s signature wood forms Armed Forces canines. Each dog represents a different military campaign, as well as the injuries that their human counterparts endure. Mellick created the installation to raise awareness of the sacrifices made by veterans and their needs now. The nine canine sculptures are both humbling and healing, representing a special bond between the soldiers and canines. To this end, the display of these sculptures is for the purpose of:

  • Opening dialogue and encouraging psychological healing for veterans and families
  • Calling attention to the ongoing needs of physically and psychologically wounded veterans through our bond and connection with our faithful canine companions
  • Bringing attention to the service and heroism of the military working dog

The beauty and craftsmanship of the exhibition is not intended to ignore the intensity or suffering of war. Mellick’s intent is to emphasize the nobility of those who sacrificed life, limb and spirit in service to their country.

James Mellick’s career as an artist has been divided between the art market and the university. In 1973, he earned his master of fine arts degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a major in painting, a minor in sculpture and extensive work in printmaking.

Access to this exhibit is included with regular admission. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums members are admitted for free. For hours and admission, visit rbhayes.org. This exhibit is sponsored by the Art & Kate Doust Charitable Fund.

Special exhibit: 'Eyes of Freedom'

Saturday, Oct. 3 - Monday, Oct. 5, 2026

 

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. The exhibit is comprised of nine panels and the Silent Battle bronze sculpture. There is no charge to view this exhibit.

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.

 

Watch - State of Eight: Presidential Leadership Forged in Ohio

Virtual program recorded from presentations made in March 2026

 

Ohio is the “State of Eight” presidents — seven who were native Ohioans and one who has deep connections to Ohio.

The Hayes Presidential Library & Museum partnered 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.

Watch each program of State of Eight: Presidential Leadership Forged in Ohio below:

Each presenter discussed how the presidents shaped and were shaped by events of their eras, which impacted their presidential terms and American history. Participants heard 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. 

Partial funding for America 250 events is provided by Albrechta & Liebold, Ltd., Attorneys at Law.