<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#" > <channel> <title>Chester Arthur – THROUGH THE EYES OF JEFFERSON</title> <atom:link href="https://eyesofjefferson.com/tag/chester-arthur/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com</link> <description>Presidential site adventures as told by a bobble head</description> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 04 Nov 2024 11:59:48 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1</generator> <site xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">167670250</site> <item> <title>CHESTER ARTHUR</title> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com/chester-arthur/</link> <comments>https://eyesofjefferson.com/chester-arthur/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Watson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:16:13 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Chester Arthur]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hail to the Chief]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Presidential Tribute]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson bobble head]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Watson]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://eyesofjefferson.com/?p=40922</guid> <description><![CDATA[]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="451" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-1.jpg?resize=800%2C451&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40923" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-1.jpg?w=1935&ssl=1 1935w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-1.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C577&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-1.jpg?resize=768%2C433&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C865&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“It’s time once again to pay tribute to one of our Presidents, albeit one who isn’t one of our nation’s most prominent Chief Executives.” </strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="800" height="447" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-2.jpg?resize=800%2C447&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40924" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-2.jpg?w=1939&ssl=1 1939w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-2.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C572&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-2.jpg?resize=768%2C429&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-2.jpg?resize=1536%2C859&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“As a matter of fact, most ‘normal’ Americans either forgot this man was President, or never knew the guy with two first names ever lived in the White House”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="800" height="448" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-3.jpg?resize=800%2C448&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40925" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-3.jpg?w=1930&ssl=1 1930w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-3.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C574&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-3.jpg?resize=768%2C430&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-3.jpg?resize=1536%2C860&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-3.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“Hopefully after you’ve read this post, you’ll know more about the President who looked a bit like Captain Kangaroo – Chester Alan Arthur.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="449" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-4.jpg?resize=800%2C449&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40926" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-4.jpg?w=1978&ssl=1 1978w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-4.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-4.jpg?resize=1024%2C575&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-4.jpg?resize=768%2C431&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-4.jpg?resize=1536%2C863&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-4.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>PRESIDENT CHESTER ARTHUR HISTORIC SITE – “Located in Fairfield, Vermont, this site was where future 21<sup>st</sup> President Chester Arthur was born on October 5, 1829.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="448" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-5.jpg?resize=800%2C448&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40927" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-5.jpg?w=1975&ssl=1 1975w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-5.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-5.jpg?resize=1024%2C573&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-5.jpg?resize=768%2C430&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-5.jpg?resize=1536%2C859&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-5.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“The actual birth site is where I’m standing, which is a large granite marker that was dedicated in 1903 by Robert Todd Lincoln. Lincoln was President Arthur’s Secretary of War in his Cabinet.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="450" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-6.jpg?resize=800%2C450&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40928" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-6.jpg?w=1975&ssl=1 1975w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-6.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-6.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-6.jpg?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-6.jpg?resize=1536%2C863&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-6.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“The yellow, two-room house in the background is a replica of the home where Arthur was born.</strong> <strong>Since the beginning of Arthur’s political career, however, it had been rumored the President was born in Dunham, Quebec – some 30 miles north of Fairfield.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="448" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-7.jpg?resize=800%2C448&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40929" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-7.jpg?w=1978&ssl=1 1978w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-7.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-7.jpg?resize=1024%2C573&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-7.jpg?resize=768%2C430&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-7.jpg?resize=1536%2C860&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-7.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“Funny thing was – we drove about 115 miles out of the way to visit this site; and that was one way.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="448" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-8.jpg?resize=800%2C448&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40930" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-8.jpg?w=1909&ssl=1 1909w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-8.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-8.jpg?resize=1024%2C573&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-8.jpg?resize=768%2C430&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-8.jpg?resize=1536%2C860&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-8.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>ELLEN HERNDON – “On October 25, 1859. Chester Arthur married Ellen, who was known as ‘Nell’, at the Calvary Episcopal Church in New York City. Arthur was 30 years old, while Nell was only 22. Ellen never saw her husband’s political rise – she died from pneumonia in NYC at the age of 42 on January 10, 1880.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="449" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-9.jpg?resize=800%2C449&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40931" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-9.jpg?w=1911&ssl=1 1911w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-9.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-9.jpg?resize=1024%2C574&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-9.jpg?resize=768%2C431&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-9.jpg?resize=1536%2C862&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-9.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>UNITED STATES CAPITOL – “On March 4, 1881, Chester A. Arthur recited the Oath of Office in the Senate Chambers of the U.S. Capitol at 11:30am to become the 20<sup>th</sup> Vice President of the United States. After the well-dressed Vice President delivered a short speech in the Senate Chambers, he went outside to the East Portico to participate in the Inaugural ceremony for President James Garfield.” </strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="446" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-10.jpg?resize=800%2C446&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40932" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-10.jpg?w=1911&ssl=1 1911w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-10.jpg?resize=300%2C167&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-10.jpg?resize=1024%2C571&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-10.jpg?resize=768%2C428&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-10.jpg?resize=1536%2C857&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-10.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>CHESTER ARTHUR HOME – “Located at 123 Lexington Avenue in New York City, the five-story building was home to Chester Arthur for most of his adult life.</strong> <strong>Even though I’ve visited NYC in the past, I have yet to see the Arthur home with my own resin eyes.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="448" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-11.jpg?resize=800%2C448&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40933" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-11.jpg?w=1915&ssl=1 1915w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-11.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-11.jpg?resize=1024%2C573&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-11.jpg?resize=768%2C430&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-11.jpg?resize=1536%2C860&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-11.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“At 2:15am on September 20, 1881, Arthur recited the Presidential Oath of Office in the front parlor of his home following the death of James Garfield.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="448" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-12.jpg?resize=800%2C448&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40934" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-12.jpg?w=1908&ssl=1 1908w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-12.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-12.jpg?resize=1024%2C574&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-12.jpg?resize=768%2C430&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-12.jpg?resize=1536%2C861&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-12.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“This walnut slant-top desk was in Chester Arthur’s Lexington Avenue home, and he signed the Presidential Oath of Office at this desk on September 20, 1881.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="449" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-13.jpg?resize=800%2C449&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40935" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-13.jpg?w=1911&ssl=1 1911w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-13.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-13.jpg?resize=1024%2C574&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-13.jpg?resize=768%2C431&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-13.jpg?resize=1536%2C862&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-13.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“On September 22, 1881, President Arthur arrived at the Vice President’s Room inside the U.S. Capitol where Chief Justice Morrison Waite administered the Oath of Office a second time.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="449" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-14.jpg?resize=800%2C449&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40936" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-14.jpg?w=1912&ssl=1 1912w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-14.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-14.jpg?resize=1024%2C574&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-14.jpg?resize=768%2C431&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-14.jpg?resize=1536%2C861&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-14.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>THE WHITE HOUSE – “Shortly after becoming President, Arthur butted heads with Garfield’s Cabinet and most resigned – everyone except Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln. At the same time, President Arthur was diagnosed with Bright’s Disease. Although he tried to keep his condition private, his physical appearance began to show the effects of his disease. Arthur lost a lot of weight, and he aged a lot – at the same time, he struggled to keep the pace of the Presidency.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="451" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-15-1.jpg?resize=800%2C451&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40949" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-15-1.jpg?w=1803&ssl=1 1803w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-15-1.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-15-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C578&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-15-1.jpg?resize=768%2C433&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-15-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C866&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-15-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>MARY ARTHUR McELROY – “As sister of the widowed President, Mary was asked to serve as White House Hostess in January 1883. Due to his wife’s death in 1880, there had been no First Lady in the White House for the first year of Chester Arthur’s Presidency.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="449" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-16.jpg?resize=800%2C449&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40938" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-16.jpg?w=1914&ssl=1 1914w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-16.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-16.jpg?resize=1024%2C575&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-16.jpg?resize=768%2C431&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-16.jpg?resize=1536%2C863&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-16.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>LINCOLN COTTAGE – “Chester Arthur, like President Hayes had done before him, used “The Lincoln Cottage” as his Summer White House during the hot summer months in Washington. The cottage is located on higher ground roughly three miles from the White House. President Arthur also resided in the Lincoln Cottage during the winter of 1882 while renovations to the White House were ongoing.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="449" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-17.jpg?resize=800%2C449&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40939" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-17.jpg?w=1912&ssl=1 1912w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-17.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-17.jpg?resize=1024%2C574&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-17.jpg?resize=768%2C431&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-17.jpg?resize=1536%2C861&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-17.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“In March 1885, after he attended the Inauguration of President Grover Cleveland, Chester Arthur returned to his home in NYC. On November 16, 1886, Arthur ordered all of his personal and official papers burned. The next day, President Arthur suffered a cerebral hemorrhage at his home and never regained consciousness. At 5:00am on November 18, 1886, Chester A. Arthur died at the age of 57.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="449" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-18.jpg?resize=800%2C449&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40940" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-18.jpg?w=1909&ssl=1 1909w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-18.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-18.jpg?resize=1024%2C575&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-18.jpg?resize=768%2C431&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-18.jpg?resize=1536%2C863&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-18.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>ALBANY RURAL CEMETERY – “The grave of our 21<sup>st</sup> President, Chester Arthur, resides in this cemetery located in Menands, New York, which is just outside of Albany. President Arthur’s funeral was held on November 22, 1886 at the Church of the Heavenly Rest in NYC. Following the service, the casket carrying the remains of our 21<sup>st</sup> President was interred in the sarcophagus above me.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="449" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-19.jpg?resize=800%2C449&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40941" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-19.jpg?w=1908&ssl=1 1908w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-19.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-19.jpg?resize=1024%2C575&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-19.jpg?resize=768%2C431&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-19.jpg?resize=1536%2C863&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-19.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“President Arthur was laid to rest in the family plot, near the gravesite of his wife Ellen.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="451" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-20.jpg?resize=800%2C451&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40942" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-20.jpg?w=1912&ssl=1 1912w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-20.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-20.jpg?resize=1024%2C577&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-20.jpg?resize=768%2C433&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-20.jpg?resize=1536%2C865&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-20.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“This giant bronze female angel is depicted placing a palm leaf on Arthur’s sarcophagus. The angel was added in 1889.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="448" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-21.jpg?resize=800%2C448&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40943" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-21.jpg?w=1909&ssl=1 1909w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-21.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-21.jpg?resize=1024%2C573&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-21.jpg?resize=768%2C430&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-21.jpg?resize=1536%2C860&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-21.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“That’s my photographer posing at the grave of Chester Arthur. You’ll notice by the lack of photos, Tom hasn’t visited too many sites associated with Arthur. The two of us still need to visit Arthur’s house in NYC; as well as Captain Kangaroo’s ‘Treasure House’ where Mr. Green Jeans, Bunny Rabbit, and Mr. Moose still reside.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="449" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-22.jpg?resize=800%2C449&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40944" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-22.jpg?w=1912&ssl=1 1912w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-22.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-22.jpg?resize=1024%2C575&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-22.jpg?resize=768%2C431&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-22.jpg?resize=1536%2C863&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-22.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“When Tom and I made our first trip together to see the grave of Chester Arthur, it was the 20th Presidential gravesite we had visited.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="449" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-23.jpg?resize=800%2C449&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40945" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-23.jpg?w=1914&ssl=1 1914w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-23.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-23.jpg?resize=1024%2C575&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-23.jpg?resize=768%2C431&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-23.jpg?resize=1536%2C863&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-23.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“Nearly six years later, I returned to Albany Rural Cemetery with my photographer and Bob Moldenhauer.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="449" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-24.jpg?resize=800%2C449&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-40946" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-24.jpg?w=1912&ssl=1 1912w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-24.jpg?resize=300%2C168&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-24.jpg?resize=1024%2C574&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-24.jpg?resize=768%2C431&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-24.jpg?resize=1536%2C861&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ARTHUR-24.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><strong>“Did this post leave you underwhelmed? There’s good reason for that. Chester Arthur was a very underwhelming President and one who easily gets lost within the pages of our history books.”</strong></figcaption></figure></div>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://eyesofjefferson.com/chester-arthur/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">40922</post-id> </item> <item> <title>237: GOOD GOLLY, MISS MOLLY – WILL YOU LET ME STAND ON THAT BED?</title> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com/237-good-golly-miss-molly-will-you-let-me-stand-on-that-bed/</link> <comments>https://eyesofjefferson.com/237-good-golly-miss-molly-will-you-let-me-stand-on-that-bed/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Watson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jun 2023 16:28:15 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Albany Rural Cemetery]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Benedict Arnold House Kinderhook]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Chester Arthur]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Chester Arthur grave]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Good Golly Miss Molly]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kinderhook Cemetery]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kinderhook Dutch Reformed Church]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kinderhook New York]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Lindenwald]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Martin Van Buren]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Martin Van Buren birthplace]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Martin Van Buren grave]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Molly Maron]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson bobble head]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://eyesofjefferson.com/?p=14734</guid> <description><![CDATA[It was an easy 47-mile ride from Hyde Park to Kinderhook, New York. We arrived at Lindenwald, the home of President Martin Van Buren, at precisely 4:00pm on Monday June 5, 2023; only to discover the last tour of the…]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">It was an easy 47-mile ride from Hyde Park to Kinderhook, New York. We arrived at Lindenwald, the home of President Martin Van Buren, at precisely 4:00pm on Monday June 5, 2023; only to discover the last tour of the day had begun an hour earlier. In my mind, I figured we were out of luck – this late in the day, we’d be limited to seeing only the exterior and the grounds of the historic home. But as soon as Tom stopped our rented Ford Explorer in the parking lot, close to a tent where two NPS Rangers were seated, Bob Moldenhauer jumped out of the vehicle and went to work on the pair of women. I’m not sure if he flashed his patented smile, or if he dazzled them with his charm, wit and dry sense of humor, but Mongo returned to the Explorer and said: “We’re in. Molly said she’ll take us on a tour of the house if we leave right now.”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Molly turned out to be NPS Ranger Molly Maron, and she couldn’t have been friendlier or more knowledgeable when it came to Martin Van Buren and his home Lindenwald. Soon after the four of us had completed the short walk from the ranger’s tent to the mansion, my companions and I were once again hit over the heads with a heavy dose of disappointment – construction equipment and orange fencing obstructed the entire front of Van Buren’s mansion. I couldn’t believe my painted eyes – for the second time that day, the exterior of a historic President’s home was in the midst of a construction project. It was like déjà vu all over again. Molly apologized and told my companions the ongoing roof work was necessary because rainwater had been damaging the upper rooms of the home. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Due to the ongoing construction, my companions and I entered the historic home through a side door, which for some strange reason seemed to disappoint Ol’ “Buffalo Bob”. During our entire tour of the home’s interior, Molly pointed out important aspects centered on the life of Martin Van Buren – the man, the father and grandfather, and of course, the President. What I found so amazing about Lindenwald was most of the furnishings inside the home were once used and owned by Van Buren during his lifetime.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The 36-room mansion was built roughly three miles south of downtown Kinderhook, New York in 1797. Martin Van Buren purchased the mansion and grounds in 1839 during his Presidency. Van Buren’s wife, Hannah, had died in 1819 at the age of 35 from tuberculosis and never knew her husband was elected President. When MVB was voted out of office in 1841, he returned to the estate he had named ‘Lindenwald’ where he lived, farmed, and stayed politically active until his death in 1862. As a matter of fact, Van Buren ran two unsuccessful Presidential campaigns from his home. In 1844, MVB lost the Democratic nomination to James K. Polk; then in 1848, his bid for the Presidency as a ‘Free Soil Party’ candidate ultimately helped Zachary Taylor get into the White House. The 5′ 6″ Van Buren was small in stature, but he was a fiery politician who loved our country. More importantly, however, he loved his five children and his grandchildren – all of whom called Lindenwald their home.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-9.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14741" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-9.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-9.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-9.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-9.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Upon our arrival at Lindenwald, this was the view we had of the mansion’s front entrance – orange fencing stretched across the entire front of the home. A large aerial lift, parked to the south side of the mansion, sat directly behind me in this image.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-11.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14742" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-11.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-11.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-11.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-11.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing next to the south side of Lindenwald, where yellow caution tape had stretched around the aerial lift located just off the image to the right.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-12.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14743" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-12.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-12.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-12.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-12.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I had visited Lindenwald in July 2017, and again during the pandemic in July 2020. During each visit, I was curious about the four-story brick tower and what the view was like from the top. But each time, and again during my 2023 visit, we were not allowed access to the tower.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-23.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14744" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-23.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-23.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-23.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-23.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">In one final attempt to capture a decent image of the front of Lindenwald without unsightly construction equipment in view, Tom leaned over the fencing where I posed near the northeast corner of the mansion.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-4.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14745" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-4.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-4.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-4.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-4.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This was the Main Hall, or Entrance Hall, inside Lindenwald. A large gathering of guests would’ve dined in this area. I laughed to myself and shook my head when Molly mentioned the wallpaper on the wall to my left was original to the home and was selected by Martin Van Buren himself. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14746" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-2.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Green Room served several purposes in Lindenwald. When guests arrived to discuss politics with Van Buren, the women went to the Green Room to socialize. This room was also used by the Van Buren family as a place where they played games or listened to music. The President loved to play with his grandchildren in this room. The portrait above the fireplace was John Van Buren, Martin and Hannah’s second son. John was a key advisor in his father’s administration before entering the world of politics as New York’s 21st Attorney General. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-3.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14747" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-3.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-3.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-3.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">After his Presidency, Martin Van Buren was never far removed from the politics of the day. I’m standing in the Formal Parlor at Lindenwald where Van Buren’s political guests would gather to smoke cigars, discuss politics, and talk about the women across the hall. The President’s portrait hung above the fireplace, while portraits of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, whom Van Buren admired, adorned the adjacent wall of the Parlor.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-5.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14748" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-5.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-5.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-5.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-5.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing in the Library at Van Buren’s beloved Lindenwald, with a bust of the President situated along the far wall. Following dinner, guests were invited into the Library to discuss the ongoing slavery issues and the likely potential for civil war.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14749" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-1.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Martin Van Buren’s bedroom, which was situated on the second floor and at the sunny southeast corner of the house, was the highlight of the tour for me. At 2:00am on July 24, 1862, President Van Buren died in that very bed from heart failure and bronchial asthma at the age of 79. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-20.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14750" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-20.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-20.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-20.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-20.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">My photographer did his best to persuade Molly to let me stand on the bed, but she was steadfast in her denial. I was disappointed – no one else was in the room besides the four of us, and my base was very clean. In the past, I’ve stood on the deathbeds of Presidents Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, Wilson, and Franklin Roosevelt, and it would’ve been an awesome experience to have added Van Buren to my list.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-22.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14751" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-22.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-22.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-22.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-22.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I did get a close look at Van Buren’s shaving stand and razor that was located in his bedroom. When I envisioned the President’s wild side whiskers and unkempt appearance, I wondered what went through Martin’s mind when he gazed into that mirror. My guess was: “I wish I looked more like Thomas Jefferson – that guy was handsome!”</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/VAN-BUREN-2.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14756" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/VAN-BUREN-2.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/VAN-BUREN-2.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/VAN-BUREN-2.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/VAN-BUREN-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Does this look like a man who owns a mirror, a hairbrush, or a razor? Martin Van Buren was photographed for this image in 1857, roughly 18 years after he bought Lindenwald and just five years before his death.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-21.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14752" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-21.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-21.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-21.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-21.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I had to laugh because Molly never let us out of her sight, which was the reason I never had the chance to stand on Van Buren’s bedroom desk. While I stood solemnly in the room where Martin Van Buren had passed away, however, it dawned on me that he died in 1862, shortly after the turmoil of the Civil War had begun. It was unfortunate and sad knowing President Van Buren died not knowing whether the nation he helped build would continue to exist.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-6.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14753" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-6.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-6.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-6.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-6.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Since it was encased in Plexiglass, Molly did allow me to stand on the edge of Martin Van Buren’s bathtub. I gagged slightly when I envisioned the wild-haired President taking a bath beside me; although I suppose it was better than watching William Howard Taft in the tub!</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-7.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14754" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-7.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-7.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-7.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-7.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Speaking of gagging – that’s exactly what I did when I thought of Martin Van Buren seated on his toilet reading the morning newspaper. During my 2017 visit to Lindenwald, I had the unfortunate pleasure of standing alongside the toilet bowl. Thankfully on that day, my resin nose was plugged.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When our visit to Lindenwald’s interior had finished around 4:45pm, Molly led us back outside where we parted ways with the young ranger. Both Tom and Bob were deeply indebted to her for leading us on an “after hours” private tour of the historic home. I had mixed feelings about our tour guide, however, solely because she refused to grant me permission to stand on Van Buren’s deathbed, which wouldn’t have hurt a darned thing. It wasn’t as though my fat photographer asked to take a nap on Martin’s bed, although I’m sure that crossed his mind.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The last fifteen minutes of our time on the grounds was filled by my two companions as they escorted me around the entire perimeter of Lindenwald. And once I got a real good look at the grounds, especially the expansive front yard, I was thoroughly disgusted. Perhaps it was due to the lack of rain, or maybe it was partially brought on by staffing shortages, but the lawn appeared diseased, brown, and on the verge of a weed or bug-infested death. Martin Van Buren’s beloved home deserved better, and in my opinion, our government needs to allocate sufficient funds to keep historic sites like Lindenwald and its grounds from falling into disrepair. History must be preserved for future generations, or it will be lost forever.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Back in the Explorer, the three of us headed towards, and then past, downtown Kinderhook where our final destination was Martin Van Buren’s final destination as well – the Kinderhook Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery. It took less than ten minutes for Tom to make the 3.4-mile drive to the historic burial ground. During my first two visits to Van Buren’s grave in 2017 and 2020, my photographer parked alongside Albany Avenue and he carried me to the gravesite. But on this trip, Tom carefully guided our SUV into the cemetery, and he parked within 20 yards of Van Buren’s final resting place. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">America’s eighth President, Martin Van Buren, died at the age of 79 on July 24, 1862. After lying in state at Lindenwald for three days, likely in the mansion’s Main Hall, Van Buren’s funeral services were conducted at 1:30pm on July 28th in the Kinderhook Dutch Reformed Church. The services were not attended by President Abraham Lincoln, who was busy with the Civil War. The highest public official in attendance was New York Governor E. D. Morgan. Following the simple funeral service, Van Buren’s rosewood coffin was escorted to the church cemetery by Kinderhook’s Fire Company No. 2 and a long line of mourners.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Tom carried me from our vehicle, through a menagerie of tombstones, until we arrived at the 15-foot-tall granite obelisk which marked the graves of Martin Van Buren and his wife Hannah. I had to admit, even though it was my third visit to Van Buren’s final resting place, it’s one of the most ordinary and unassuming Presidential gravesites in the country. I posed for a handful of images, including one photo where I stood on the small footstone marker engraved with the initials M.V.B. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-13.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14759" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-13.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-13.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-13.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-13.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">My camera guy photographed me as I stood on Martin Van Buren’s footstone, located inside Kinderhook Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery. Hannah Van Buren, who died on February 5, 1819, was originally buried in Albany, but was reinterred alongside her husband after his death.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-25.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14760" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-25.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-25.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-25.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-25.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President Van Buren’s coffin was made of rosewood, oval-topped with silver trimming. A silver plate on the lid was etched with the words: Martin Van Buren, Died July 24, 1862, Age 79 years, 7 months, 19 days.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-24.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14761" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-24.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-24.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-24.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-24.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As I stood on the President’s footstone with the 15-tall obelisk towering over me, I thought about Van Buren being the only United States President whose primary language was not English – it was Dutch.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">For the third time in my illustrious bobble head career, I bid farewell to the final resting place of our eighth President. But we weren’t finished with Martin Van Buren sites in Kinderhook quite yet. As a matter of fact, we were only halfway done with them. Located exactly one mile from the site where Martin Van Buren’s earthly remains were buried, my companions found the site where baby Maarten Van Buren entered the world on December 5, 1782.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Abraham Van Buren and is wife Maria owned an inn and tavern on the southern outskirts of Kinderhook. When their third son was born, they had no way of knowing he would one day become the first President born an American citizen. That’s right, all of Martin Van Buren’s predecessors were born prior to the Declaration of Independence and thus were born British citizens.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Unfortunately, the Van Buren birthplace had fallen into disrepair over the years and was demolished in the 1940s. When Tom pulled the Explorer onto the shoulder of Hudson Street, the only thing I saw was a historic marker on the west side of the road. As I stood in the grass close to the marker, I tried my best to envision the inn and tavern in the background. Was I standing on the soil where young Maarten once romped as a small child? I wanted to believe that.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-27.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14765" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-27.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-27.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-27.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-27.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This was 46 Hudson Street in Kinderhook, New York. I tried very hard to envision an inn and tavern across the street, but all I saw was a sign that marked the property where President Martin Van Buren was born.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="404" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-BIRTHPLACE.jpg?resize=800%2C404&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14766" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-BIRTHPLACE.jpg?w=1068&ssl=1 1068w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-BIRTHPLACE.jpg?resize=300%2C152&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-BIRTHPLACE.jpg?resize=1024%2C518&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-BIRTHPLACE.jpg?resize=768%2C388&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This was an artist’s depiction of what the birthplace of Martin Van Buren looked like. The buildings fell into a state of disrepair and were demolished in the 1940s.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-17.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14767" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-17.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-17.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-17.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-17.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As the late-day sun shone through the trees above me, I posed for pictures while standing on the sacred ground near the spot where our eighth President was born.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Our time at Van Buren’s birth site lasted less than ten minutes, which was fine because there was nothing to see but a seven-foot-high sign alongside the road. Tom pulled a U-turn along Hudson Street and headed for the downtown section of Kinderhook. I barely had time to get settled into my camera case when my photographer pulled into the parking lot of the Kinderhook Dutch Reformed Church. We had arrived at 5:45pm – I knew the time because there was a clock high up on the church’s steeple. While the church looked old, was it the same building where President Van Buren had been baptized and where his funeral was held?</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Unfortunately, the answer to both of those questions was ‘No’. Following the future President’s birth on December 5, 1782, he was baptized ten days later as Maarten Van Buren, which was the Dutch spelling of his first name. The church building where Van Buren was baptized, which was the second Dutch Reformed Church’s in town, no longer exists. A third Dutch Reformed Church was built in 1814, which was the place of worship where Van Buren’s funeral was conducted on July 28, 1862 – but sadly that building was severely damaged by fire in 1867 and was replaced in 1869 by the church I was standing alongside. As I posed for a handful of images near the exterior of the Dutch Reformed Church, I was in fact standing at the site of Van Buren’s funeral service. Although the doors were locked and we couldn’t get inside, I stood on the front steps and envisioned the President’s funeral procession lined up along Broad Street as it headed for Kinderhook Cemetery, escorted by the Kinderhook Fire Company No. 2 and a never-ending line of mourners.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-28.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14768" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-28.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-28.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-28.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-28.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing near the front of the Kinderhook Dutch Reformed Church, which was built in 1869. While it’s not the building where Martin Van Buren’s funeral was held, the church behind me was situated in the original church’s footprint.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-18.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14769" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-18.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-18.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-18.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-18.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I stood near the entrance to the church and envisioned the President’s 1862 funeral procession on Broad Street in front of me. The entire village of Kinderhook was in mourning with the passing of their famous native son.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-29.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14770" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-29.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-29.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-29.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-29.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When President Van Buren’s funeral was held at this site on July 28, 1862, thousands of people in and around Kinderhook were saddened by ‘Old Kinderhook’s’ death. But I gotta believe there were a lot more people than that who weren’t shedding a single tear. Those folks were the Native Americans who were forced to travel on the ‘Trail of Tears’ due to the Indian Removal Act of 1830 enforced by Van Buren one year into his term in office.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When the three of us got back into our vehicle in the church parking lot, our Van Buren sites were finished for the day; as well as the entire trip, for that matter. But we still had one site in Kinderhook left on our agenda, and it was located just a short distance from the church along Broad Street. But instead of walking the two hundred yards to the site, Tom insisted on driving because…well, let’s just say it had been a long day.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">A two-story brick home was the first thing I saw when my photographer removed me from the camera case. The building looked very old, and according to legend, it was where the infamous Revolutionary War General, Benedict Arnold, was brought to recover after he was wounded on October 7, 1777 at the Battle of Bemis Heights. Arnold was once a hero, and he was revered a gallant hero when he took a British musket ball in the leg at the Battle of Bemis Heights near Saratoga, New York. But less than three years later, Arnold went from Bemis to Butthead when he became the most famous traitor in American history after he secretly arranged for the British to easily seize control of West Point. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">I was confused while posing for photos near the exterior of the historic Kinderhook home. The reason for my skepticism was due to the fact Benedict Arnold was severely wounded roughly 45 miles north of Kinderhook, near present-day Stillwater, New York. Why would he be transported that far south to recover? But, if he did stay in the “Benedict Arnold House” in Kinderhook, was it within those walls where he began to hatch plans to betray the American cause? Even though I’m not a fan of Benedict Arnold, I did my best to smile for the camera as Tom snapped a handful of images of me near the historic home.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARNOLD-HOUSE-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14772" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARNOLD-HOUSE-1.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARNOLD-HOUSE-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARNOLD-HOUSE-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARNOLD-HOUSE-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">According to tradition, General Benedict Arnold was brought to this house where I’m standing after he was wounded in the leg during the Battle of Bemis Heights on October 7, 1777.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARNOLD-HOUSE-2.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14773" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARNOLD-HOUSE-2.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARNOLD-HOUSE-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARNOLD-HOUSE-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARNOLD-HOUSE-2.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">What I couldn’t understand was the fact Arnold was wounded at the Battle of Bemis Heights, which was located in present-day Stillwater, New York. The home behind me in Kinderhook was located roughly 45 miles south of Stillwater, which would’ve been a long way to transport a wounded soldier in 1777.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">While it seemed as though the three of us had spent most of the afternoon in Kinderhook, we were in fact in town for only two hours – half of which was at Lindenwald. When we departed the small Dutch community where President Martin Van Buren called home, we began the 25-mile drive north to our final scheduled stop of the day – the grave of our 21st President Chester Arthur.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">I was anxious to visit President Arthur’s grave again. My first trip to Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York, which was slightly north of downtown Albany, was on July 8, 2017. I got lucky during my first visit – just as my photographer finished with his photos while I posed on Arthur’s ornate monument, it began to rain. But on this afternoon, there was no rain in the forecast – even though the sky was overcast with a slight haze in the air.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Albany Rural Cemetery was established on October 7, 1844, and over the years it has been renowned as one of the most beautiful, pastoral cemeteries in the entire United States. When we arrived at the expansive 400-acre burial ground, however, I was stunned to see how poorly maintained the cemetery had become. For as far as my painted eyes could see, tall weeds and long grass obscured most of the headstones in the cemetery. It was a disgusting site, and as my companions searched for Arthur’s tombstone, I was worried the unsightly growth of vegetation would obscure the President’s grave as well.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Chester Arthur died at the age of 57 on November 18, 1886, just twenty months after he left the White House. Arthur’s post-presidency was the second shortest of all Presidents who lived past their time in office; James K. Polk died just three months after his term had concluded. Three days following his death, Arthur’s funeral was conducted in New York City and then he was laid to rest in a sarcophagus next to his wife, Nell, who died on January 12, 1880 at the age of 42. Three years following his interment in Albany Rural Cemetery, a monument was placed on the corner burial plot, which featured a giant bronze female angle placing a bronze palm leaf on Arthur’s sarcophagus. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">I was pleasantly surprised, and somewhat stunned, when Tom carried me up and placed me on Arthur’s ornate monument. The grounds close to where the President’s grave was located had been kept neatly trimmed, unlike the rest of the huge cemetery. As I stood on the bronze palm leaf, however, I noticed some of the headstones across the roadway were in dire need of some TLC and weed whacking. From my close proximity, I also noticed the face of the bronze angel reminded me of Rocky Balboa after he got his butt kicked by Apollo Creed. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-3.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14777" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-3.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-3.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-3.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">For the second time in the past six years, I had the honor of paying my respects at the final resting place of President Chester Arthur. It was good to see the weeds had been whacked around the Presidential gravesite.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14778" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-1.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">From my position on top of the bronze palm leaf, I couldn’t help but notice the long grass and weeds around the headstones across the roadway.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-4.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14779" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-4.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-4.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-4.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-4.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">“Yo Adrian!” Is it just me, or does the face of the bronze angel remind you of Rocky Balboa?</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="677" height="484" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ROCKY-2.jpg?resize=677%2C484&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14781" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ROCKY-2.jpg?w=677&ssl=1 677w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ROCKY-2.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 677px) 100vw, 677px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rocky Balboa, played by actor Sylvester Stallone, after his defeat at the hands of Apollo Creed. Adrian Pennino, Rocky’s girlfriend, was portrayed by actress Talia Shire.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-6.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14782" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-6.jpg?w=1400&ssl=1 1400w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-6.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-6.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/ARTHUR-6.jpg?resize=768%2C549&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">After our graveside visit with Chester Arthur had concluded, Tom forced me pose in another area of the cemetery to demonstrate the fine landscaping in Albany Rural Cemetery. Can you see me? From my position, it appeared the grass and weeds hadn’t been trimmed since the Clinton administration.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">During my visit to the weed-infested Albany Rural Cemetery, I began to wonder if ticks could bite into resin. Even though I love visiting Presidential gravesites, and Arthur’s was my third such grave of the day, I was happy and relieved to be headed to our hotel where I knew I wouldn’t be standing in head-high weeds next to the television set. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">By 6:50pm, which was four hours earlier than the previous night, the three of us arrived at the Tru by Hilton near the Albany airport. Once my companions were registered and unpacked, Tom placed me alongside the television set while he and Mongo headed off to the nearby Texas Roadhouse for dinner. I’m happy my photographer didn’t drag me along. I knew he was hungry, and it’s not a pretty sight when Tom hasn’t eaten much all day.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">My companions had returned to our room by eight o’clock, which gave my camera guy plenty of time to finish his NASCAR fantasy league statistics before he retired to bed a little before eleven. As I stood in the darkness and listened as my photographer digested his steak throughout the night, a 1958 tune by Little Richard popped into my resin head. Over and over the song ran through my mind, and it went a little something like this: </p> <p class="has-medium-font-size">“From the early, early morning til the early, early night, I heard Miss Molly talkin’ at the Martin Van Buren site. </p> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Good Golly, Miss Molly, I know what you said. My tour would’ve been finer, had I stood on Martin’s bed. </p> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Good Golly, Miss Molly, I wouldn’t stand there long. You were a rockin’ and a rollin’, tho I felt you were wrong.</p> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Then I went to the corner, near Martin’s shaving stand. Molly kept me off the bed, perhaps she couldn’t understand.</p> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Good Golly, Miss Molly, the bed’s where I need to stand? Cuz I’m the most famous bobble head, in the history of our land! </p> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Good Golly, Miss Molly. Good Golly, Miss Molly. Will you let me stand on that bed?”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>** THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO NPS RANGER MOLLY MARON FOR TAKING THE TIME TO GIVE THE THREE OF US AN AFTER-HOURS PRIVATE TOUR OF LINDENWALD. GOOD GOLLY, THANK YOU MISS MOLLY! **</strong></p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1120" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-8.jpg?resize=800%2C1120&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-14785" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-8.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-8.jpg?resize=214%2C300&ssl=1 214w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-8.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&ssl=1 731w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MVB-8.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure></div>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://eyesofjefferson.com/237-good-golly-miss-molly-will-you-let-me-stand-on-that-bed/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">14734</post-id> </item> <item> <title>207: KING ARTHUR & HIS KANGAROO COURT ON ‘HAIL TO THE CHIEF’</title> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com/207-king-arthur-his-kangaroo-court-on-hail-to-the-chief/</link> <comments>https://eyesofjefferson.com/207-king-arthur-his-kangaroo-court-on-hail-to-the-chief/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Watson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 23 Aug 2022 00:37:55 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blue Water Healthy Living]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bluewaterhealthyliving.com]]></category> <category><![CDATA[BWHL]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Captain Kangaroo]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Chester Arthur]]></category> <category><![CDATA[GBS Media]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Grant Smith Health Insurance Agency]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hail to the Chief]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson bobble head]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://eyesofjefferson.com/?p=12879</guid> <description><![CDATA[Chester Alan Arthur, our 21st President, is one of the lesser-known Presidents in our history. As a matter of fact, Ol’ Elegant Arthur is so obscure that I’ve only been to two sites dedicated to him. One was Chet’s birth…]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="463" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ARTHUR-KANGAROO.jpg?resize=800%2C463&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-12880" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ARTHUR-KANGAROO.jpg?w=907&ssl=1 907w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ARTHUR-KANGAROO.jpg?resize=300%2C174&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ARTHUR-KANGAROO.jpg?resize=768%2C445&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Is it just my imagination, or does President Chester Arthur (right) look a lot like television’s Captain Kangaroo?</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Chester Alan Arthur, our 21st President, is one of the lesser-known Presidents in our history. As a matter of fact, Ol’ Elegant Arthur is so obscure that I’ve only been to two sites dedicated to him. One was Chet’s birth site, which my photographer had to trick his wife to drive 150 miles out of the way to see on July 10, 2017. And the second was his gravesite, which I visited just two days earlier just outside of Albany, New York.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">But somehow, Tom managed to put together some information that helped bring to life Chester Arthur Presidency on our show ‘Hail to the Chief’. For a little over 14 minutes, you will be on the edge of your seat with facts about the man who owned over 80 pairs of pants and looked a lot like the ’60s television icon Captain Kangaroo.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Please click on the link below to watch the Chester Arthur episode. And while you’re visiting the Blue Water Healthy Living site, check out our other shows as well. And lastly, my photographer and I would appreciate it if you shared the link to ‘Hail to the Chief’ on social media. It helps our audience grow, even though we don’t make a dime from any of the shows. Thank you for reading this blog and for watching our show! </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size"><a href="https://bluewaterhealthyliving.com/hail-to-the-chief-with-tom-watson-21st-president-chester-arthur/">Hail to the Chief with Tom Watson: 21st President Chester Arthur – Blue Water Healthy Living</a></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://eyesofjefferson.com/207-king-arthur-his-kangaroo-court-on-hail-to-the-chief/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">12879</post-id> </item> </channel> </rss>