Visitor Center at James A. Garfield National Historic Site

OPERATING HOURS

The James A. Garfield National Historic Site Visitor Center occupies the former horse barn and carriage house built by Garfield’s wife, Lucretia, in 1893 (twelve years after his death). It was converted into the Visitor Center during a renovation in 1997-98 by the National Park Service.

Operating hours for the Visitor Center vary per season. From May through October, it is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM. From November through April it is only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, same hours. The entire park is closed on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, Presidents Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Keep in mind that times and days can always change, so be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the park.

The gate to the park is locked shortly after closing time at 5 PM. Any vehicles remaining will be locked in until the next morning.

Rear of the Visitor Center at James A. Garfield National Historic Site

AMENITIES

• Information desk where you can ask questions and pick up a park brochure
• Get brochures on all National Park properties in Ohio
• Sign up for a tour of the Garfield House
• Museum
• Park film
• Book and souvenir store
• Restrooms

PARK FILM

The 19-minute film Garfield plays on a loop in the Visitor Center theater. This is a standard documentary with narration and historical photographs that covers the life of Garfield, with as much emphasis on his education and early jobs as a teacher and soldier in the Civil War as on his foray into politics. There is a live-action reenactment of Garfield’s assassination, but it is brief and shown slightly out of focus, so it won’t bother even young children (they are more likely to fall asleep). If you do not know anything about Garfield, be sure to watch the film before taking the house tour so that you have a clue as to what the guide is talking about.

Theater inside the Visitor Center at James A. Garfield National Historic Site

GARFIELD MUSEUM

Garfield Museum inside the James A. Garfield National Historic Site Visitor Center

The museum at James A. Garfield National Historic Site provides visitors with an extensive look into Garfield’s life growing up in Ohio and his political career. There are plenty of items on display that were owned by James and Lucretia, plus there is a large collection of assorted Garfield memorabilia. Lucretia kept her husband’s belongings in hopes of opening a museum. That never happened, but she did create a library for his books and writings on the second floor of an addition to the Garfield House she had built in 1885-86. Her collection of Garfield items ended up going to her children. They kept the items they wanted, then donated what was left to the Western Reserve Historical Society in 1936. This donation also included the house and the remaining eight acres of the farm that were still in the family.

Items of James Garfield pertaining to his assassination, including the hat he worn on the day of the shooting, on display in the James A. Garfield National Historic Site Visitor Center

Items of note are the bible Garfield used when being sworn in as president on March 4, 1881, and a bed made for him after he was shot on July 2, 1881. He did not die right away. He was bedridden in the White House for a month before he decided he wanted to move to some place else. One idea was for him to take a cruise on the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River aboard the steamer Tallapoosa. A special bed was ordered from the Hartford Woven Wire Mattress Company for the trip, but it never took place. Instead, Garfield traveled by train to an ocean resort in Elberon, New Jersey. It is not known if the bed was used on the train. Garfield died in Elberon on September 19, 1881.

Bed made for James Garfield after he was shot in July 1881 on display in the James A. Garfield National Historic Site Visitor Center

Garfield’s bible on display in the James A. Garfield National Historic Site Visitor Center

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

Watching the 20-minute movie about Garfield should be on every visitor’s To Do List. Afterwards, those interested in reading all the material in the museum should factor in an additional hour. For those less interested in Garfield, visit the museum just to see the artifacts on display. Allow fifteen minutes if that’s your plan. Also allow a few minutes to talk with a park Ranger about what there is to do and to get a ticket to tour the house.

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