Tasteful exhibit galleries display Harding’s memorabilia from his short presidency, including a giant paper mache potato presented to him by the residents of Idaho Falls, Idaho. Photo provided by the Ohio History Connection.

By Rod King
Guest Columnist

MARION, OHIO — Back in the summer of 1920, when Sen. Warren G. Harding was running for president, it was considered degrading for a candidate to traipse across the country like a door-to-door salesman stumping for votes. Instead, he brought the people to him.

Smoke–belching steam locomotives pulled into the Marion, Ohio, station with thousands of eager supporters clamoring to hear what the Ohio Republican had to say. They were met as they stepped down from the train by a marching band, which led them a few blocks from the station to the Harding Home at 380 Mount Vernon Ave.

When they arrived, they found the then senator and his lovely wife, Florence, waiting for them on their front porch. The crowd jostled and pushed for the best spots on the front yard, spilling over into the neighbors’ yards, the street and the yards of those neighbors across the street as well. He delivered more than 100 front porch campaign speeches to c

President Harding and wife, Florence, are shown on their front porch. This is where he delivered more than 100 speeches to followers during his three-month campaign that saw him bring thousands to Marion, Ohio, by train to hear him speak. Photo provided by the Ohio History Connection.

rowds ranging in size from 6,000 to 10,000 people.

It worked. He trounced his Democrat opponent by a record margin to become the 29th president of the United States. His tenure in office, however, was short lived. He died Aug. 2, 1923, on a visit to Seattle, after less than two years in office.

Today, visitors can tour the totally renovated home, the museum and presidential library (all on the same site) and then drive 1.5 miles to the Harding Memorial, which was designed to resemble a Greek temple. Though it makes for a full day, visitors come away with more information than they ever thought they would need to know about the 29th president.

Restoration of the Queen Anne-style home in 2020 was undertaken by the Ohio History Connection to return it to how it looked in 1920, during Harding’s famous front-porch campaign for the presidency, and that’s exactly where the tour begins.

The Hardings lived in the home from 1891 to 1921 and were married there July 8, 1891. Furnishings and decorations, which reflect their middle-class values, are 95% original. Inside the neo-classical museum are tasteful exhibit galleries with memorabilia, including an enormous paper mache potato presented by the citizens of Idaho Falls, Idaho, the President’s Oval Office chair, and a section replicating the train car which took the Hardings to the Pacific Northwest and then returned his body to Washington, D.C. At the time, he was considered to be one of the most popular presidents ever.

Upon arriving at the site, enter the parking lot from East Church Street or Mount Vernon Avenue and park in front of the library and museum; enter and sign up for a specific tour time.

Fee to tour the house and museum is $16 for adults, $15 for seniors, veterans and students 6 through 17, and $8 for children. Children under 5 are free. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. To tour the library alone is $10 for adults and $8 for students.

The impressive presidential grave site, which is located on 10 acres of landscaped grounds, was designed to resemble a Greek temple with huge columns. It was built entirely with private funds at a cost of just under a billion dollars. President Herbert Hoover dedicated it in 1931.