james a. garfield national historic site

Been here a few times and always enjoy it and learn something new - Garfield is one of our least studied and known about Presidents because he was in office for such a short time - but a very interesting person. A visit you will enjoy

I love history and this was interesting enough. Entry fees were waved the day I went and I am not sure that I would have paid for the tour. He is our home grown president and I wanted to take my son for a learning trip-he is homeschooled.Not exactly a fun day at the park but interesting enough. I recommend going when they are having re-enactments or craft faires to extend the experience.

This NPS site is very near Cleveland and has easy access from I-90. It consists of Garfield's last home before being elected President and some farm buildings. The stable has been turned into a small visitor's center and was really well done. There is a lot of information on Garfield and his very short time as President. He was shot and later died a few months after he was inaugurated to his first term. He was our second President to be assassinated. We learned quite a bit about the man and his rise to the presidency. We had to "tour" the large house by video since it was closed earlier in September for installation of a new HVAC system. The nice part of the tour was that most of Garfield's original furnishings have been saved and used in the home. The original farm had over 140 acres but now consists of 8 acres. If you are a lover of Presidential sites or history, don't miss this site if you are in the area.

A few easy miles away in Mentor Ohio is the National Park Services President Garfield House and Museum. Detailed tours are conducted throughout the house by the Park Service. Start at the museum itself and learn about this fascinating president!

This was a real treat. Beautifully restored, large Victorian home of an Ohio president. Our guide was absolutely terrific, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Good history lesson. Very nice two hours.

We were at the Garfield Home for their annual re enactment event. It was well run and well attended. The national park service did a great job of explaining things. People were not always aware when things were going on but hopeful they will get a pa system for next year. it is a great time if you have never been there.

The house has been renovated and was beautiful. A peaceful refuge off a busy street. I didn't realize what a great self made man President Garfield was. His wife, Lucretia, did a fabulous job in renovating the house after his death.

On a quiet, August afternoon, we decided to traipse around the lush property that is Lawnfield. The Garfield house is in pristine condition-nearly all the rooms possess original furnishings, including ravishing portraits and other quirky works of art. The library incorporated to the house after Garfield's passing was by far the most awe-inspiring sight to behold, with over 1,000 of Garfield's personal collection, a large bay-window, and an intricately carved wood amongst other treasures. A tour during the weekday is a respectable $5/person, and the tour guides are absolutely phenomenal. Ours was more than knowledgable of Garfield and willing to answer any relevant question (even including some delightful Garfield family lore when the opportune moment arrived). Considering President Garfield's untimely demise, the parks service had little to work with in terms of presidential history, but they more than made due with Lawnfield. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised by your visit! (The sight is definitely family friendly!)

4 couples did the tour together and all had positive remarks about the tour. The home is very well kept and the movie and museum was both informative and interesting. A small (2) elevator can be used to reach the higher levels for people who are unable to do steps. Don't forget to use your National Park card if you have one. Let's 4 people in for free. It definitely is worth the trip if you are in or near the area.

What we enjoyed most about our visit to the Garfield home is that the house is in virtually the same state as it was with James Garfield was President back in 1881. Yes, Garfield's widow added a very large addition (to house Garfield's books and presidential papers) but the original home retains almost all of the original furniture. You can only visit the house on a guided tour ($5 per person) though you can wander the grounds and peek into some of the other original structures on your own. On select weekends a much more comprehensive "behind the scenes" tour is offered - it's two hours long compared to the 45 minute regular tours (which appear to run every half hour or so on weekends).The Park Rangers are excellent and really provide an in-depth understanding of the man and his presidency. We were fascinated to learn that it was undignified for a presidential candidate to actually campaign during an election. Garfield never left his home in 1880 but more than 17,000 managed to drop by to get the ear of the potential president.The house is only a few minutes off the interstate and is definitely worth a visit.

Lawnfield may well be the nicest Presidential home in Ohio. Located on US 20 and easy to find, the house is abundant with porches and has some wonderful art and furnishings. It's a guided tour, with the guides being very knowledgable about Garfield's humble beginnings (last of the log cabin Presidents), his ambitious upbringing (he would write Latin with one hand while writing Greek with the other to amaze and astonish his pals), his time in the Civil War and his all-too-short Presidency, ended with an assassin's bullet and very poor medical techniques. On site is a welcome center as well as a windmill.

The video and exhibits in the visitor center were well done. Our tour guide did a great job of explaining the history of the house and president. It was obvious he enjoyed both the history and leading tours. Dress warm for the house in summer. On the day we went in July it was cool outside, but very cold in the house because of the A/C--mostly likely to keep out the humidity.

Lawnfield is the former home of President James A. Garfield, but is also interesting from a design and architectural standpoint.The home currently sits on about 20 acres in the suburb of Mentor, only a mile or so from a large shopping area. Although residential developments have grown around it, the site still has the historic feel from its farm days.Throughout our visit, I couldn't get over the sense of what might have been. A little history: Garfield came from poverty, but his mother spent her life savings to get him into school and he went on to attend seminary, graduate from what is now Hiram College, become the president of that college, serve honorably in the Civil War (rising to the rank of Major General and serving at Chickamauga, among other battles), and running for Congress at the request of Abraham Lincoln. He became the Republican nominee not by wanting the job but because of a deadlock between other candidates and basically getting the job by acclaim. Once nominated, Garfield threw himself into the campaign and changed the way in which candidates ran for president. After running a close campaign against Winfield Scott Hancock (himself a war hero at Gettysburg), he was elected president. His presidency was cut short after he was shot in the back by a deranged man only weeks into his term. After that, Garfield became the victim of 1880s medicine and died months later at the age of 49. One can only wonder what might have been if this good man had actually been able to serve his term. They have a tourist center in the original carriage house. Admission is something like $5 (free for under 16s) and they have displays about Garfield's career, along with a 15-20 minutes video. The tours of the house itself are by volunteers, in our case a Kent State University political science professor who also loved history. Our group had only five people, and others seemed to have about 10 which is about right given the house's size.Both the original home and the addition by Garfield's widow are well worth the visit. You enter on the porch where Garfield engaged in his porch front campaign. Inside is decorated much as it was in Garfield's day, essentially in the Victorian style. There is a wood carving motif on many of the doorways. Our favorite room in the house was the large library, which was built after Garfield's death but has many historical artifacts relating to his career. The library includes a large vault built to house his papers. They allow you to walk into the vault and also to take pictures throughout the home.They have events staged at the home throughout the summer. The weekend we visited they had a band playing John Philip Sousa patriotic music. The weekend before was civil war enactors. Apparently once a month they have "behind the scenes" tours where you can visit rarely seen parts of the home. I'd check the website before a visit.Lawnfield is worth a visit not only for the home, but also to experience a time not that long ago when life and the presidential campaigns felt very different from those of today.

I was really surprised at how interesting and well done this site was. The movie was very interesting and the small museum was just right. The tour of the home was very interesting and our guide gave great insight into the life of the family and the time in history that this home and the area played in our country's history. The grounds were very nice. Staff - friendly and helpful. The museum ad grounds are free and there is a small fee for the tour of the home. Highly recommend!

The James A Garfield home is a wonderful way to learn more about our 20th president. Lawnfield was his family home for many years and you get a feel for the man and his family. Much that you see is exactly as it was when he lived there. You can stand on the porch where he would sit and greet his visitors and well wishers. The museum is well done and located in the former carriage house. It's well worth the visit and the national park services does an excellent job of presenting his story.