An interview with Todd Arrington, Site Manager, James A. Garfield National Historic Site
What is Lawnfield and why is it important for Greater Clevelanders?
James A. Garfield National Historic Site is the home and property once owned by James and Lucretia Garfield. Garfield was a longtime congressman from northeast Ohio and he won the 1880 election for President of the U.S. He ran the nation’s first-ever “front porch” presidential campaign from this home. “Lawnfield” is a nickname for the property coined by reporters who covered Garfield during that presidential campaign. Interestingly, it’s also the birthplace of the presidential library idea. After his death, his widow, Lucretia Rudolph Garfield, added a memorial library to the home that became the model for future presidential libraries.
Garfield is the only president in our history from the Cleveland area. He was one of the most intelligent people to occupy the White House. He cared deeply about fiscal issues and, as a former teacher and college president, about education. He was a lifelong anti-slavery advocate who joined the Union army during the Civil War because he believed the war could help destroy that horrific institution. As a congressman, he fought for civil and political rights and physical protection for African Americans in the South.
Notable Facts: James A. Garfield National Historic Site
First-ever “front porch” presidential campaign happened here
Birthplace of the presidential library
Hosted Ulysses S. Grant and the famed Fisk Jubilee Singers
November – April: Open weekends, tour reservations required
May – October: Open daily, tour reservations required
Garfield never actually lived in Cleveland but he is from Northeast Ohio. Is there any direct connection between him and the city?
James Garfield spent a lot of time in Cleveland during his life, and the city makes regular appearances in his diaries and letters. After his death, his widow had a home in Cleveland. Garfield’s September 26, 1881 funeral was held in Public Square, and Mrs. Garfield chose to have the President’s remains rest in Lake View Cemetery. The beautiful Garfield Memorial there is one of the most impressive final resting places of any president. Several other Garfield family members are interred in Lake View Cemetery as well. Today, many Garfield descendants still live in the Cleveland area, and we’re fortunate to know and regularly see many of them.
Garfield’s life can really be encapsulated here in northeast Ohio: he was born in what’s now Moreland Hills; educated in Chesterland and Hiram; lived in Mentor; and his remains rest in Cleveland. Had he lived, he would surely have retired to this property in Mentor and continued to be an important figure in northeast Ohio well into the twentieth century.
What is the role of the National Park Service at Lawnfield and what is your role specifically?
The National Park Service administers this property on behalf of the American people. We run the site, provide guided tours of the Garfield home, maintain the buildings and grounds, and plan and host special events. I am the Site Manager, which means I am in charge of everything here.
What do you think are the most appealing aspects of Lawnfield for teachers and students?
We are very interested in meeting and working with teachers and students. We have numerous programs that emphasize reading skills, national and Ohio history, and even science and math. We’re currently working with Teaching Cleveland and our own wonderful nonprofit partner, the James A. Garfield Alliance, to develop a new curriculum about Garfield and his work on civil rights for elementary, middle and high school students. So, teachers and students can come here and get instruction and experiences based on Ohio curriculum.
We’re also a great field trip spot because we have beautiful grounds that include picnic tables, walking paths, and huge historic trees. Going into the Garfield home on a guided tour is an experience like no other, too. In these rooms, Garfield ran for president and hosted such prominent figures as Ulysses S. Grant and the famed African-American Fisk Jubilee Singers. Students touring the home also see how a family lived in the 19th century. And, almost all of the artifacts are original to the Garfield family. They’re seeing real history here.
Ultimately, though, our staff and volunteers have been here for many years, studying the Garfields, learning all they can about 19th century life and politics and this home and its contents. We are an educational resource, so please take advantage of having us here in northeast Ohio! National parks are classrooms, too.
What resources in particular do you think teachers and students should know about if they are studying James A. Garfield? Are there ways for students to volunteer there or work on an internship with you?
We can always provide information and documents related to our education programs for teachers who want to know more before they bring their students to James A. Garfield NHS. We can even take student interns, too.
We have a small research library on site that we’re happy to make available to teachers and students doing research. It’s all secondary sources, really; we don’t have Garfield’s papers actually here on site. However, the Library of Congress has made those papers available digitally just in the last couple of years, so they are easy to access (https://www.loc.gov/collections/james-a-garfield-papers/about-this-collection).
Our website, nps.gov/jaga, and social media pages (@GarfieldNPS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) are also excellent resources for Garfield information. Our nonprofit partner’s website is also full of really good information. That’s jgarfieldalliance.org.
Now that you’ve become familiar with Teaching Cleveland, what future opportunities do you see in connecting Lawnfield with TC?
We’re really excited to get to work with Teaching Cleveland, and we’re grateful to our partners at the James A. Garfield Alliance for putting us together with TC. Since everything we do here is geared toward educating the public, the opportunities to do more with TC are just about endless. Being able to reach more teachers about the opportunities available here is wonderful. In the long term, we are starting to make a lot of plans for new events, programs, and educational opportunities for the next decade as we move toward the November 19, 2031 bicentennial of President Garfield’s birth. So while we have much to offer to teachers in the Teaching Cleveland network now, we’ll have even more over the next ten years as we move toward the bicentennial.
