Four months and seven days ago, my photographer and I returned from our final trip of 2024. Now we have a new notion, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all bobble heads are created equal. The world will little note, nor long remember what I say here, but it can never forget what my photographer and I did here. It is for us, along with Reese Fiscelli, to remain dedicated to the unfinished work before us, and to increase a new devotion towards the greater task remaining before us – to honor the dead Presidents who gave their last full measure of devotion. The three of us will remain highly resolved that these Presidents have not died in vain; and our nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.
Roughly a week after my photographer’s granddaughter Reese asked if Tom and his wife Vicki would take her to a history museum over Spring Break, I found myself safely packed away in my camera case and in the backseat of our Jeep Grand Cherokee for a return trip to the state of Ohio. We weren’t headed for an ordinary history museum. Instead, Tom and Vicki were taking me, along with Reese and her six-year-old sister Brooke, to Fremont, Ohio where we’d spend the day honoring the legacy of our 19th President, Rutherford B. Hayes, at his estate known as Spiegel Grove.
It’s no secret that planning and precision is in my cameraman’s DNA, and that was once again very evident when we pulled out of the driveway at 7:11am on Thursday March 27, 2025. Tom’s goal was to arrive at Spiegel Grove a half-hour prior to the first home tour of the day, which was scheduled to begin at ten o’clock. He figured the early arrival would not only get us on the day’s first tour, but it would also give us a better chance to photograph the mansion without other visitors in our images.
Unfortunately, an auto accident in Detroit had traffic snarled for a short time during the 142-mile drive to Fremont. But even with the delay, Tom pulled into the parking lot of Spiegel Grove at precisely 9:31am. We were one minute late!
I had to laugh to myself when I saw Reese shaking with excitement as the ten-year-old and her grandfather were busy taking photos of the impressive mansion. Brooke, on the other hand, was content with feeding the squirrels, and she seemed more focused on swimming in the hotel’s pool at the end of the day. The weather was ideal for late March – the temperature was in the high 40s, albeit with a slight breeze, and the sky was mostly cloudless.
At ten o’clock, the front door opened, and the five of us, along with an elderly couple from Wisconsin, entered the world of Rutherford and Lucy Hayes and their family. While this was the third time I had been carried through that doorway, it was Reese’s first visit – and the youngster was poised to compare Spiegel Grove with James Garfield’s large Mentor farmhouse known as ‘Lawnfield’, which she had toured on November 16, 2024.
The docent for our visit was a volunteer named Lori, and she did an amazing job of leading our small group through most of the 31 rooms in the mansion. And the best part of all – Lori allowed my photographer and me to lag behind where we ended up alone in most every room. Throughout our hour-long tour, my photographer and I, along with Reese and Brooke, were on high alert for potential paranormal activity – especially in the Master Bedroom where Rutherford and Lucy Hayes had died.
Now it’s time to experience Spiegel Grove and its grounds as seen through the lens of my photographer’s camera. While I didn’t see any ghosts during my visit, I did find myself posing on some artifacts I hadn’t been allowed to stand on during previous tours. And according to Reese, she was thrilled to personally experience some of my photographer’s “illegal activities” – including when she stood on the President’s grave marker.
When Rutherford B. Hayes recited the Presidential Oath of Office in the Red Room of the White House on March 3, 1877, he was slapped with the nickname of “Rutherfraud” by the Democrats who threatened an insurrection after Hayes’ controversial election victory over Samuel J. Tilden.
In reality, Hayes was anything but a fraud. As a matter of fact, ‘Rud’ was a Civil War hero who led his men into numerous battles against the Confederacy, even after being wounded several times. While still serving in the Union Army in 1864, Hayes was elected to the United States House of Representatives, but he refused to leave his men to take his seat in Congress. Instead, he waited until victory was certain before he headed to Washington in March of 1865. Rutherford admired President Abraham Lincoln and met the ‘Rail Splitter’ on at least three different occasions. Following Lincoln’s tragic assassination, Hayes did his best to support Andrew Johnson and the Reconstruction Acts. After serving as Ohio’s Governor, Hayes was asked by his party to run for President, and he agreed. However, he pledged to serve only one term. Known for his honesty, integrity, and work ethic, Rutherford B. Hayes won the 1876 Presidential election by a single Electoral Vote – edging Tilden 185 to 184 in an election that took months for a non-partisan committee to decide the outcome.
When President Hayes left the White House on March 4, 1881, he retired happily to Spiegel Grove, which he inherited upon the death of his Uncle Sardis Birchard who had passed away on January 21, 1874. Back in Fremont, Rutherford and the love of his life, Lucy, spent their retirement years in the company of their children and grandchildren, which was the reason Hayes expanded the size of his mansion.
Tragedy struck the former President on June 25, 1889 when Lucy Webb Hayes, his best friend, soulmate, and beloved wife, died at the age of 57 only three days after suffering a stroke in her bedroom. Rutherford was heartbroken, noting “the soul has left Spiegel Grove”.
Following Lucy’s death, daughter Fanny became the President’s constant companion. But three and a half years after his wife’s death, Rutherford B. Hayes suffered a heart attack while at a train station near Cleveland. Hayes continued on to Fremont where his attempt at recovery failed. On January 17, 1893, President Rutherford B. Hayes passed away in the arms of his son Webb – moments after whispering “I know that I am going where Lucy is.” In my resin mind, President Hayes didn’t die from complications of a heart attack. Instead, he passed away from a broken heart.
Rutherford and Lucy Hayes loved Spiegel Grove and the grounds surrounding their beautiful estate. Their children and grandchildren spent a lot of time there as well, and it was easy to feel the family bond in every room we visited. And even though I didn’t see or hear any paranormal activity during our tour, the spirits of Rutherford and Lucy were definitely there with us. And the best part of all, the President and First Lady welcomed all five of us into their home and family – and there was nothing fraudulent about that.
Tom pulled the Jeep into the parking lot of the Comfort Inn & Suites in Fremont at roughly 2:15pm. Within minutes after my photographer had pushed the luggage cart up to our second-floor room, Reese and Brooke were in their swimsuits and headed off towards the pool with their Nana while I stood next to the TV set in our room.
Although I wasn’t invited to dinner with the family at Buffalo Wild Wings, I was allowed to watch the Opening Day MLB game between the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers when my travel companions had returned to the hotel with full stomachs.
When Tom turned off the television set at roughly 10:30pm, I stood alone and thought about Hayes. No, not Rutherford – I was enthralled by the legacy of Lucy Hayes instead. Not only was Lucy the first woman to be widely referred to as First Lady in the White House, but she was also the first to have a college degree and to use a typewriter, telephone, and phonograph while in office. When it came for her love of children, Lucy Hayes established the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn and was gifted the first Siamese cat ever brought into the United States, which she gave to her daughter Fanny. At first, Lucy named the cat ‘Miss Pussy’; but quickly changed the animal’s name to ‘Siam” after noticing the feline’s regal attitude. And finally, Lucy was blamed for her husband’s ban on alcohol in the White House, even though she was not a member of any temperance group. Eleven years after the First Lady’s death, the press slapped her with the nickname of ‘Lemonade Lucy’. But to me, Lucy Webb Hayes was so much more than a teetotaler. She was the life of the White House and the soul of Spiegel Grove.
“Cellophane flowers of yellow and green, towering over your head. Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes and she’s gone. Lucy in the sky with diamonds.”
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Once the entire gang had crawled out of bed on Friday March 28th, our hotel room looked like a war zone with the girl’s stuff strewn everywhere. After Reese and Brooke ate their breakfast, Tom took them down to the pool for an hour of swimming while Vicki packed up their belongings. Originally, my photographer had planned to drive straight home once we left the hotel, but that changed after he discovered the Hayes Memorial United Methodist Church was just over a mile from the Comfort Inn & Suites. Was that the church where Rutherford and Lucy worshipped when they were in Fremont? We were about to find out.
It was a few minutes before ten o’clock when Tom pulled into the parking lot of the church. But as soon as my resin eyes saw the building, I felt something wasn’t right. The church looked too modern to be associated with the former President and First Lady.
Vicki and Brooke stayed in the Jeep while Tom, Reese, and I headed out on foot to explore the building. We got lucky when the front door of the church was open, and within minutes we found a guy performing maintenance in an interior room. After a brief discussion with Kevin Adams, we learned this church had been built in 1967 and had replaced the older church located next to the Sandusky County Courthouse in downtown Fremont. Adams also said the original Methodist Church was destroyed by fire in the early 1880s and a new place of worship was constructed in its footprint in 1885, built with financial help from President Hayes himself. Kevin mentioned the second church, which was where the President and his wife attended for the rest of their lives, was still standing – although it’s been closed for years.
Before we left the building, Adams had a surprise for the three of us – he said the original Hayes Family pew was in the building and he wanted us to see it. It turned out the wooden pew had been removed from the 1885 church when the new Hayes Memorial United Methodist Church opened in 1967. Kevin also said there were several stone blocks from the original church that had been salvaged and were on the grounds in front of the current building as well.
Reese and Tom had a bounce in their steps after seeing the original church pew. But the three of us still had some unfinished business – we needed to find the 1885 Methodist Church, which Kevin Adams said was next to the courthouse.
When we arrived at the Sandusky County Courthouse, which was located roughly two miles south of the Hayes Memorial Church, my photographer instantly discovered there was a dilemma. It turned out there were at least three churches in the near vicinity of the courthouse – but which one was the church where President Hayes had worshipped?
In search of the answer, the three of us (Vicki and Brooke once again stayed in the Jeep) headed into the courthouse where Tom was confident someone would know which of the three buildings was the historic church. After a five-minute discussion with the security officers on duty, the two men found a photo on their computer and said the Hayes church was along Park Avenue on the next block South of the courthouse. They also mentioned the church had been vacant for a while and was on the auction block to be sold. Then, just before we headed out of the courthouse, one of the men put the proverbial curse on us when he said, “You can’t miss it!”
With Reese by his side, my photographer carried me South along Park Avenue. On the next block, Tom found the church he saw on the security officer’s computer; plus, it had signage on the rear entrance which appeared to indicate the place was for sale. There was no doubt in my cameraman’s mind this was the historic church where Hayes worshipped during the last eight years of his life. The officer was right, we couldn’t miss it.
Unfortunately, Tom was also right when he mentioned the curse. As it turned out, there were two churches on Park Avenue just South of the courthouse. I posed in front of the church closest to the courthouse, which also fit Kevin Adams’ description to a tee. The second church we saw was located at the corner of Park and Birchard Avenue, which was two blocks South of the courthouse. Once we had returned home later in the afternoon, my photographer did his own research and discovered the historic Hayes church was the one I didn’t pose in front of. That meant one thing – I need to make a return trip to Fremont and pose near the ‘Real Hayes Church’.
Once we were finished with our search for the church, Vicki suggested we head back to Spiegel Grove so the girls could once again feed the squirrels. Even though the historic Hayes home was a little over a mile away, we had no time to waste as an imminent rainstorm was headed our way.
There was a slight mist in the air when Tom pulled the Jeep into the parking area at Spiegel Grove. But by the time the five of us had walked out onto the grounds in front of the mansion, the rain had subsided – at least for the moment. Brooke and Reese scurried around with a Zip-Lock bag full of peanuts with the hopes of getting close to some of the furry nut munchers. Moments later, as if on cue, a dozen or more squirrels headed towards my photographer’s wife and the grandkids.
Roughly twenty minutes after the girls began feeding the squirrels, the sky once again opened up and the rain came down harder than ever. At that moment, there seemed to be no end in sight to the inclement weather, which meant it was time to begin the 140-mile journey to back home.
Only fifteen miles down the road, however, Tom suddenly whipped the Jeep into the parking lot of an eatery, located on US-20 on the outskirts of Woodville, Ohio. The place was called the Speedtrap Diner, which featured Sasquatch standing near the parking area and an old police car situated on the roof. The interior walls were decorated with a nostalgic theme, and there were hundreds of license plates and old record albums that surrounded images of everyone from Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to Arthur Fonzarelli from ‘Happy Days’.
When lunch was finished, it didn’t take long before our vee-hickle was once again besieged by the falling rain. The downpour made visibility for my photographer poor at best, and the hazardous conditions continued for over twenty miles after we crossed the border into Michigan.
Unlike the previous day, the drive through Detroit was uneventful on the way home – although a semi-truck driver nearly sideswiped our Jeep near the old Tiger Stadium site. I laughed to myself when I heard Tom and Vicki use some very colorful language, which was directed towards the non-American truck driver.
Then out of nowhere, just as we got within a few miles from home, I heard Brooke say out loud, “I heard Papa use the F-word and I saw him flip the middle finger to someone.” All my photographer could say was, “I thought little Brookie was sleeping during my rant. I guess she did learn something on the trip besides how to feed a squirrel!”
When we arrived home at 2:35pm, I knew we had been on a short but very successful Presidential adventure. During the past 24 hours, Reese had learned a lot about the lives of President Hayes and his wife Lucy at Spiegel Grove, while Brooke learned a lesson from her grandfather about road rage.
