Last spring, when the Hayes Home and museum normally would have been filled with students on field trips learning about President Rutherford and First Lady Lucy Hayes and Ohio history, the galleries and rooms were dark and empty. CBS News correspondent Mo Rocca interviews Hayes Presidential Historian Dustin McLochlin about the election of 1876 on Saturday, Sept. 19, for “CBS Sunday Morning.” The segment aired on Sunday, Oct. 25. CBS, MSNBC film at Hayes Presidential The Hayes Presidential Library & Museums was featured on two major news networks in October, giving national exposure to Hayes Presidential Education Coordinator Joan Eardly the historic site and President gives a virtual tour for school kids because they could not Rutherford B. Hayes’ history. come to the museum, as planned, for field trips.Gateway In September, CBS News to the Future would fund more virtual programming. correspondent Mo Rocca and the CBS crew visited Hayes Families, presidential site enthusiasts, history Presidential to record a segment buffs and other visitors, who normally would on the election of 1876. He come to the museums’ latest exhibits, tour the Ali Velshi, whose show, “Velshi,” interviewed Executive Director home and see the grounds, stayed home. airs on MSNBC, interviews Christie Weininger and Historian Busloads of group tours and vacationers who panelists during a roundtable Dustin McLochlin about Hayes’ normally visit the home or museum and pick up about the 2020 presidential contested election for “CBS election on Saturday, Oct. 3, at gifts and souvenirs canceled their trips. Spiegel Grove. Their comments Sunday Morning.” The segment Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hayes aired on his live show on aired on Sunday, Oct. 25, and Presidential Library & Museums shut down from Sunday, Oct. 4. can be accessed at rbhayes. March 13 through June 23. It reopened for three days org/news/2020/11/03/general/ a week compared to its normal daily operations, and cbs-sunday-morning-features- the reduced schedule is expected to continue into election-of-1876-interviews-hayes-presidential-staff/. 2021. Fall and winter field trips have been canceled. The segment gives a great overview of the election and the The pandemic has caused an immense loss of climate at that time. It shows that the United States has been revenue for Hayes Presidential, and staff have through very divided and partisan times in the past. It also adjusted by cutting costs in numerous areas. mentions the alleged Compromise of 1877, but time did not Meanwhile, the staff continued to innovate and allow for detail. For the story on this topic, please visit rbhayes. find ways to bring Hayes Presidential and its org/news/2017/01/19/general/the-misconception-about-hayes- mission to people at home. reconstruction-and-jim-crow/. Please see Gateway, page 7 Please see News networks, page 3 HPLM brings holiday cheer with two weeks of free train exhibit admission This is my favorite time of year. One of our events where I see people the most I always look forward to the joyful is the “Hayes Train Special,” which we have holidays of October, November been doing since 1994. I love hearing the laughter and December for the pure joy of children as they circle around the train platform, and special meaning they bring to watching the trains disappear and reemerge as they me and my family and friends. wind their way through whimsical wintry displays. It While traditional celebrations is heartwarming to see adults turn into children again this year will be a little different, as they delight in making the train whistle blow or the I’m still planning for and little lighted merry-go-round spin and play music. anticipating them with the same We know that the “Hayes Train Special” has become a enthusiasm as always. Actually, tradition for many generations of visitors. And this year, maybe even a little more we are going to make it free for a two-week time period. Christie Weininger enthusiasm than usual. Executive Director By giving back in this way, we hope more people are I’m finding that many others able to join us for some healthful holiday cheer. feel this same way. While So, if you find yourself in need of a little joy and conversing with folks, I have heard over and over how delight, I hope you will stop by Spiegel Grove and much they are looking forward to this year’s holiday let us put a smile on your face! For more information season in particular because of the diversion it will on how to register for a free time slot to experience provide. I know a handful of people who put their “Hayes Train Special,” as well as information on our Christmas trees up in October! They needed something other wonderful upcoming events, see page 5. joyful to look at, they said by way of explanation. Our country is facing struggles of great magnitude. I do not want to minimize the importance of resolving those difficulties, but I believe we all could benefit from carving out some respite time this season. We, at Hayes Presidential, are hurting right now in multiple ways. But we know we’re not alone. We feel a strong connection with all who are affected by current turmoil. I have been inspired by many of the ways local businesses, organizations and individuals, as well as those in other parts of our nation and world, are working to boost the spirits of everyone from friends to complete strangers. My co-workers and I have given some thought Admission to the “Hayes Train Special” will be free from to how we could provide moments of joy to our Saturday, Nov. 28 - Saturday, Dec. 12. Attendees must patrons and our community. reserve a time slot at rbhayes.org. For details, see page 5. Grant, donation fund replacement of Hayes Home back steps Thanks to a grant and memorial Presidential with a grant for $9,100 donation, the crumbling steps at the toward the project, and the Eilene back of the historic Hayes Home will Perry family provided a $5,000 soon be replaced. memorial for the work. Hayes Presidential staff use that “We are so grateful to the staircase to enter the historic home to foundation for this grant and to provide tours and maintain the home, the Eilene Perry family for this and volunteers use it for various events. memorial,” said Sue Berryman, Hayes The public also enters through the steps Presidential director of development. during the special Backstairs Tours of “The installation of new steps at the home, which focus on the Hayes the back of the home will ensure a servants and their experiences. safe entrance and exit for guests, The back steps of the Hayes Home are eroding and will be replaced. Staff and The Sandusky County Communities volunteers, staff, and vendors.” volunteers use these stairs regularly to Foundation awarded Hayes enter the historic home. page 2 Descendant donates original painting A Hayes descendant has donated “My dear only sister, my an original portrait of President beloved Fanny, is dead!,” Rutherford B. Hayes’ beloved the president wrote in his sister, Fanny Arabella Hayes Platt, diary. “The dearest friend of to the Hayes Presidential Library childhood…the confidante & Museums. of all my life, the one I loved Lisa Westwater of Columbus best, is gone.” donated the oval painting, which The closeness between focuses on Fanny’s face, to the two is one of the reasons Hayes Presidential earlier this Westwater felt Fanny’s portrait month after she had loaned it should be at Spiegel Grove. to the museum for the recently Over the years, Westwater ended special exhibit “Women of stored the painting in her Spiegel Grove,” which focused basement and wrapped and on women’s history. preserved it as best she could. “It was so clear to me that I was Last year, she decided to see if Lisa Westwater, a Hayes descendant, donates a painting supposed to give the painting to of Fanny Arabella Hayes, sister of President Rutherford Hayes Presidential would want the museum,” Westwater said. B. Hayes, to the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. it, and her timing coincided Westwater’s grandmother was with the special exhibit. Fanny’s granddaughter. The After the exhibit ended, she painting passed through the family to Westwater, in part took the painting home with her to have it appraised because Westwater shares a birthday with the president, and complete the paperwork to donate it to Hayes and her middle name is Hayes in honor of her familial Presidential. On her way back to Columbus, she took connection to him. a wrong turn and ended up driving through Delaware, Fanny was two years older than the president and was which was Fanny’s and the president’s birthplace. very close to him. She worried about his health, career Westwater drove by the new statue of Hayes there with and love interests and checked in with him often. Fanny’s portrait carefully buckled in the backseat. Although Fanny was very intelligent, she, like many To her, it was a sign that Fanny would have wanted women of that era, did not have the opportunity to to see the sites related to her brother and childhood and attend college. Instead, she wrote to her brother often would have wanted her portrait to be at Spiegel Grove while he was at school and encouraged him to pursue with so many things that belonged to her brother. his academic studies and stay focused on them. She was “The primary mission of our collection is to preserve a voracious reader and started her own book club for artifacts from President Hayes and his family,” said Kevin women in her hometown of Delaware.