Site of the nation’s first presidential library, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums in Fremont, Ohio, also includes our 19th president’s 31-room mansion, a two-story museum and the site where President Hayes and first lady Lucy Webb Hayes are buried. All are located within steps of each other on Hayes’ beloved estate, Spiegel Grove.
Tour the Victorian-era Hayes home, a National Historic Landmark restored to its appearance during the president’s lifetime. In the nearby Hayes Museum, explore exhibits featuring artifacts from the president’s life and administration, the Civil War and all presidents of the United States, plus a magnificent weapons collection. Average visit time: Allow 2+ hours
The museum of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums was started by the president’s second son, Col. Webb Cook Hayes, and his siblings shortly after the turn of the 20th century. Col. Hayes and his siblings deeded the president’s estate, Spiegel Grove, and all its holdings to the State of Ohio. Ground was broken in 1912 for the building, and the first presidential library/museum in the United States opened on May 30, 1916.
Major additions in 1922 and 1968 brought the building to its present configuration of exhibit galleries (two floors), research library (one floor), and storage areas (four floors) comprising 52,640 square feet. In keeping with our mission, the museum uses its resources, including 19,000 artifacts—1,785 of them on permanent display—to illustrate the life and times of Rutherford B. Hayes, his family and Ohio history. Learn more here.
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums is managed locally by Hayes Presidential Center, Inc.
