Wilhelm: Hayes Center's anniversary slipped by with little fanfare

I think it’s fair to say that this has been something of a time of remembering and honoring.

Monday was Memorial Day, of course, and the Hayes Presidential Library and Museums is continuing its year-long observance of the 200^th anniversary of the president’s Oct. 4, 1822, birth.

But I think it is worth noting that Tuesday marked the anniversary of the opening of what has become a local treasure.

According to the Hayes website, “Shortly after President Rutherford B. Hayes died in 1893, his second son, Col. Webb C. Hayes, began plans to open a museum and library that would be a memorial to his father and make his father’s presidential papers and books available to the public for research and learning.”

Hayes Memorial opened on May 30, 1916

The building opened May 30, 1916, as Hayes Memorial.  It was quickly too small to house President Hayes’ collections, so Webb funded an addition that doubled the building’s size. He also started a foundation to fund the facility’s operations.

The anniversary of this opening passed quietly in comparison to the other observances, but it certainly something worth noting in the community.

Today, the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums sits on the wooded Spiegel Grove. The land houses the presidential library; the museum, the 31-room Victorian home of Rutherford and Lucy Hayes, which was restored in 2012 to look as it did when Rutherford and Lucy lived there; the tomb of the president and first lady; a mile of paved walking trails; and an accredited arboretum of approximately 2,700 trees.

Hayes inherited the property known as Spiegel Grove from his maternal uncle, Sardis Birchard, who purchased the property on Nov. 5, 1846. Birchard selected the property for the site of a home for his nephew and family, with whom he planned to spend his final years. Birchard began building the brick home in 1859, however, military and political obligations prevented Hayes from residing there until 1873 and Birchard died in January 1874.

Hayes property still has special meaning

The property continuess to be special and to serve. There is, of course, a wealth of historical information available through the library and in my many trips for information there I have never failed to receive help in my efforts when needed.

But, there is much more.

The history-related resources and events range from presidential documents to programs including regular “history roundtables” featuring the dedicated work of local historian Mike Gilbert and visiting scholars and experts. Exhibits at the museum, updated regularly through the years, cover wide-ranging topics of local and general interest.

There also are numerous and varied events for the community’s residents. These include a variety of concerts including the annual Fourth of July patriotic event and educational events. There are also things for children, some of which carry on historic traditions like the Easter time egg roll.

A little more than 100 years ago, Webb Hayes made an investment to honor his father and provide historic information to the public. It was an investment that has richly paid off for the local community and beyond.

Roy Wilhelm started a 40-year career at The News-Messenger in 1965 as a reporter. Now retired, he writes a column for both The News-Messenger and News Herald.

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Wilhelm: Hayes Center's anniversary slipped by with little fanfare