The Statesman
January - April 2018
A Trip to
Unify
A Publication of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site
Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site Board of Directors Teresa Bennett Eric J. Holcomb Andrea Neal, Chair Mariama Carson Donna Oklak Carolyn E. Anker, Vice Chair Rosemary Dorsa Peter Rusthoven Susan Bradford, Treasurer Daniel F. Evans Ed Simcox Howard J. Lacy IV, Secretary Thomas P. Ewbank Nikki Woodson Michael W. Wells, at large Brian Hewitt James Wallis, Past Chair EX-OFFICIO PRESIDENT & CEO Robin Bankhead Charles A. Hyde HONORARY DIRECTORS ADVISORY CABINET Eugene M. Busche Andrew J. Paine, Jr. William Browne John L. Krauss Susanne Ridlen George Geib James Morris Robert H. Everitt Stan Hurt Jamia Jasper Jacobsen Kimball Harrison Morsman Thomas King David Sease J. Scott Keller Boris Meditch James Kirsch
Special thanks to the more than 100 volunteers who make our work possible!
Staff Charles A. Hyde President & CEO
David Pleiss Director of Learning Resources
Margaret Sallee Director of Operations
Delia Robertson Special Events & Marketing Manager
Jennifer Capps VP of Curatorship & Exhibition
Julio Zepeda Facilities Manager
Bethany Gosewehr VP of Development
Gary Larreategui Weekend Supervisor
Roger Hardig VP of Education
Lukas Ramey Volunteer & Experience Manager
Cover Image: Detail of map from official Presidential Train trip itinerary (Benj. Harrison Pres. Site Collection)
“The Same Great End”
From the President
“The people may not agree in their views on public questions, but while they have a great many points of difference they have more of agreement and I believe we are all pursuing the same great end—the glory of our country, the permanency of our institutions and the general good of our people...”
magnificent spirit of American patriotism” was a force for good.
These ideas are at the heart of the greater role we serve as a museum and as a Presidential Site. It is our mission to increase public participation in the American system of self-government. We are uniquely positioned to help facilitate hese stirring words were discussions about what it means spoken by Benjamin to be a civic leader, and how “(T)he glory of our Harrison during we all might learn from the his 10,000 mile train country, the permanency of our past even as we look to the trip crisscrossing the institutions and the general good future. country from the Atlantic We’re doing important of our people.” to the Pacific, and they work together, and this year embody the greater sentiments exemplifies the bright opportunities Harrison sought to convey throughout his extraordinary journey: to bring together we have yet before us. Our Future Presidents a fractured and fractious country, to of America youth leadership camp is but one demonstrate its unity of mind and purpose, example of the many ways we continue to and to speak in good faith to a people unified build individual confidence, civic literacy, and by their common rights and obligations good citizenship. But we can do more—stay rather than divided by regional jealousies or tuned to learn how we see the Presidential Site assume national leadership in advancing sectional strife. these ideas in the year ahead. This astonishing story is explored by our new exhibit, A Trip to Unify, which opens on No train alone was ever going to propel January 25. President Harrison made his case Harrison—or the country—to greater heights. town by town, state by state, in a burgeoning But his vision, and unifying purpose, laid the country across almost unimaginable tracks for others to follow. In this way, his distances in very little time, giving more than trip to unify was a success: “From Maine to 150 speeches in just 31 days. He understood California, from the northern line of Michigan, better than most that an American president where it is washed by the waters of the Sault Ste. is uniquely positioned within American civic Marie, to the Savannah, I have traversed this and cultural life to help bridge conversations, broad land of ours, and out of all this journeying, to allocate personal capital constructively, and out of all this mingling with our people, I have come to be a prouder and, I hope, a better American.” to lead the way as a model of civility.
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One could argue that while Harrison lost the battle (reelection in 1892 and some key legislative priorities unfulfilled) that the course he charted on this journey of ideas won the war. Through the long and winding course of the 20th century much of his vision was fulfilled. He imagined an emboldened nation of free peoples taking a leading role on the international stage, as dominant in commerce as it was in good governance. He saw a citizenry of all colors united by its shared love of justice and mutual respect for individual rights. He championed the Constitution and recognized that “the
Join me for an exciting journey in 2018. We can do more to reach that “same great end” and provide students, educators and our community with the enhanced experiences that will let us cultivate a more engaged citizenry. Together, let us chart a course to become prouder—and better—Americans! Very sincerely yours,
Charles A. Hyde President & CEO
ERRATA: In the centerfold of the Sept-Dec 2017 Statesman, the political cartoon showcasing Harrison’s Civil War duties is incorrectly attributed to the year 1888. It was published in 1892.
Plan Your Visit
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Calendar A Trip to Unify Exhibit Opening ‡ January 25 . 5:30pm to 7pm LIVE! President’s Day February 19 . 10am to 3:30pm Six Degrees of Benj. Harrison ‡ Exhibit Reception . March 8 Civil War Dinner March 1 . 6pm to 9pm Presidential Egg Roll ‡ March 24 . 9am to 10:30am Murder in Triplicate Presented by Candlelight Theatre* April 13 & 14 I 20, 21, 22 I 27 & 28 Performances starting at 8pm Sundays at 2pm LIVE! Primary Day May 18 . 10am to 3:30pm Wicket World of Croquet* June 2 . 10am to 3:30pm * Reservations required ‡ Reservations recommended
Coffee with the Curator First Friday of Each Month Free for members & guests • $6 non-members • 8:30 - 9am
Join us for a stimulating 30-minute event at our monthly First Friday event! Enjoy a good cup of coffee and fresh doughnut holes while exploring some of the most interesting, amazing and unexpected Presidential Site collection items. We promise to satisfy your curiosity, and have you on your way to the office by 9am sharp! Upcoming themes include: . . . .
January 5 February 2 March 2 April 6
Bling in the New Year
12 Presidents
Six Degrees of Benj. Harrison History in 3D: Artifact & Artifiction
Space is limited so reservations are recommended. Find out more by calling 317.631.1888 or visiting PresidentBenjaminHarrison.org.
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Harrison Still in the News
. Inside Indiana Business In November, Dan McGowan covered inductees for The Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame in Lawrence: “The Class of 2017 includes President Benjamin Harrison.... Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site Chief Executive Officer Charlie Hyde will be on-hand to accept his recognition.” Harrison was commended in his award for his personal valor and leadership as a volunteer soldier in the Indiana 70th during the Civil War. . Food & Wine magazine In her November article, Revelations in Civil War-Era Cooking Paint Vivid Picture of President Harrison’s Dinner Table, Jacqueline Raposo interviewed the chef and manager of Alan’s Catered Events, who helped research recipes for the Presidential Site’s sold-out Civil War Dinner.
Library of Congress
. Washington Post In Cliff Sloan and Michael Waldman’s Opinion column History Frowns on Partisan Gerrymandering, they wrote that “In 1891, President Benjamin Harrison condemned gerrymandering as a form of ‘political robbery.’ He declared that its ‘overthrow of majority control by the suppression or perversion of the popular suffrage’ represented ‘our chief national danger.’”
WFYI Indianapolis The new Harrison documentary, A President at the Crossroads, first aired on October 19 at 9pm and can now be streamed at wfyi.org. It was highlighted in the November issue of WFYI magazine: “He was a man living in two worlds. He was a witness to both the extremes of wealth and poverty in the Gilded Age and the unbridled promise of the Modern Era. He saw the rise of prairie populism and a country’s transformation from rural isolationism to international power. He dreamed of a world where men shared the same civil rights regardless of color, but was challenged at every pass. Above all else, Benjamin Harrison was American’s Hoosier President, raising a family in the country’s heartland. Who was this 23rd president of the United States? A war hero and champion of veterans. Cold in conversation but a brilliant lawyer and orator. In conservation, he was visionary; in foreign affairs, foresighted; in personal affairs, unconventional. He was an early architect of a social safety net. He signed landmark anti-trust legislation still on the books today. You’ll discover the politics and the power, the personality and the private life, of a man at the crossroads between the past and the present. But always, a President with boundless faith in people: ‘An American could not be a good citizen who did not have a hope in his heart.’” Want a copy to keep? The one-hour documentary is available for purchase in our Gift Shop.
Primary Sources: “Harrison by the Book”
W
ith the release of the WFYI documentary on Benjamin Harrison, there is increasing interest in where to find interesting and reliable information on the 23rd president. This informal bibliography offers some suggestions that may aid inquiring minds: PRIMARY SOURCES Benjamin Harrison wrote only a single book, This Country of Ours (1897), which is based on a lecture series given at Stanford University, a collection of speeches and articles from Harrison’s post-presidency years. Harrison describes the American form of government as derived from the US Constitution, with particular attention to its three chief branches. The material ranges across a variety of topics, from ephemeral after-dinner speeches to more substantive matters of national policy. Perhaps the best-known selection is Harrison’s ode to Indianapolis, “No Mean City,” delivered on April 21, 1897 at the Commercial Club. Views of an Ex-President was published in 1901, after Harrison’s death, by his widow. The Speeches of Benjamin Harrison, complied by Charles Hedges, was published in 1892 during Harrison’s reelection campaign. The book consists of the primarily extemporaneous speeches Harrison delivered from February 1888 (the “rejuvenated Republican” speech given in Detroit that effectively launched his presidential candidacy) through October 1891. This collection illuminates not only the issues that Harrison advocated for, but also the peripatetic nature of his chosen forum (this collection provides speeches delivered in 27 different states, plus the territories of Arizona, New Mexico and
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Utah). Some of these will be referenced in the new exhibit, A Trip to Unify. Volume Nine of A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents (1902), compiled by James Richardson, is a sampling of official White House documents during Harrison’s presidency, including his four Annual Messages to Congress (known today as the State of the Union Address). This is available on Kindle. BIOGRAPHY The first Harrison biography was Lew Wallace’s Life of Ben Harrison, written during the 1888 Presidential campaign (there’s an old joke that Wallace did such a great job with Ben Hur that he was asked to write Ben Him). Despite its somewhat overwrought style and occasional factual errors, it is unique in that it was written by a man who actually knew Harrison from his earliest years in Indianapolis. It is now back in print in a soft-cover edition. Harry Sievers spent over 15 years in the creation of his three-volume life of Harrison, Hoosier Warrior (1952), Hoosier Statesman (1958) and Hoosier President (1967). The prodigious quantity of Sievers’ research will likely remain forever unsurpassed. The best one-volume study is Charles Calhoun’s 2005 Benjamin Harrison (part of Arthur Schlesinger Jr’s. American Presidents series). Calhoun also wrote Minority Victory: Gilded Age Politics and the Front Porch Campaign of 1888 (2008) that delivers an “inside baseball” account of how Harrison secured the GOP nomination and presidency. Another excellent study is Homer Socolofsky and Allan Spetter’s The Presidency of Benjamin Harrison (1987) (part of the American Presidency Series from the University Press of Kansas), that presents the issues Harrison faced topically, rather than chronologically. Marjorie Foster Brown’s Remembering Caroline Scott Harrison:
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Oxford Ohio’s First Lady (2013) is the first biography devoted to Coming Soon! Benjamin’s beloved spouse. CHILDREN’S BOOKS Profusely illustrated children’s biographies of Harrison include Sandra Francis’ Benjamin Harrison: Our 23rd President (2009) and Bruce Adelson’s Benjamin Harrison (2007). The title tells it all in the late Cynthia Simmelink Becker’s Lights On! Ike Hoover Electrifies the White House (2017), with delightful illustrations by Benjamin Hummel. BACKGROUND MATERIAL William Allen White’s outstanding Masks in a Pageant (1928) (the renowned playwright David Mamet described it “the best book I’ve ever read about the presidency”) offers several chapters on Harrison. His Civil War experience is shared in James M. Perry’s Touched with Fire: Five Presidents and the Civil War Battles That Made Them (2003). Wendy Gamber’s The Notorious Mrs. Clem: Murder and Money in the Gilded Age (2016) relates Harrison’s role as the prosecuting attorney in the murder trial of Nancy Clem. Kenneth Ackerman’s Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield (2003) describes Harrison’s pivotal role in unlocking the deadlocked 1880 GOP Convention in Garfield’s favor, as well as his chilling encounter with Charles Guiteau a few months prior to the assassination. George Sinkler’s The Racial Attitudes of American Presidents from Abraham Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt (1972) elucidates Harrison’s enlightened views on race. Philip Weeks’ Buckeye Presidents: Ohioans in the White House (2013) has an excellent brief biography. The second chapter of Alfred Dunn’s Gridiron Nights (1915) tells how Harrison knocked ‘em dead as the first President to speak at the Gridiron Club in 1892. Robert Beisner’s Twelve Against Empire: The Anti-Imperialists 1898-1900 reports on the former President’s opposition to McKinley’s Philippine intervention. Biographies and autobiographies of other men containing interesting sidelights and anecdotes on Harrison include Chauncey DePew’s My Memories of Eighty Years (1922), John Philip Sousa’s Marching Along (1930), Ike Hoover’s 42 Years in the White House (1934), Hilton U. Brown’s 1951 A Book of Memories (Brown was an Indianapolis News reporter and later President of Butler University), George Shiras III’s Justice George Shiras Jr. of Pittsburgh (1953), B. Franklin Cooling’s Benjamin Franklin Tracy: Father of the Modern American Fighting Navy (1973), Michael J Brodhead’s David J Brewer: The Life of a Supreme Court Justice, 18371910 (1994), Norman Tutrow’s The Governor: The Life and Legacy of Leland Stanford (2004), and Trevor Broad’s Forgotten Man in a Tumultuous Time: The Gilded Age as Seen by United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Henry Billings Brown (2014). ___ Gary Larreatugui, Weekend Supervisor
In 2018, two new works will be released on Benjamin Harrison. One will be a youth biography by Ray Boomhower, in partnership with the Presidential Site and Indiana Historical Society Press. The other is a delightful children’s book told from the perspective of the Harrison family’s mischievous goat. Old Whiskers Escapes! is written by Donna Griffin and illustrated by Gary Varvel, and will be released this fall!
Harrison in His Own Words
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From the President’s Indianapolis train stop speech:
“I beg to as sure you th at all the sweetnes s of the flo wers that have be en showered upon us, tha t all the be auty of these alm ost tropical landscapes u pon which w e have looked, that all the rich ness of these pre cious mines sink into forgetf ulness as I receive to-d ay this welc ome from my old friends. I h ave not forgotte n, I can nev er forget, Indi anapolis.” May 14, 1891
Did You Know?
On the arrival of the train at that place the committee escorted the President to a gaily decorated stand at the base of which was a stump of a mammoth redwood tree. He mounted this and surrounded by a guard of honor composed of G. A. R. and local militia and amid great cheering the president spoke...
Photo courtesy of San Joaquin Valley Library
At 10:00 am on Saturday, April 25, 1891, the President made his only actual “stump” speech in Tulare, California. Correspondent John C. Shriver reported:
A Moment in Time
In 1891...
Stanford University Special Collections and University Archives
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President Benjamin Harrison embarks on a train trip of 10,000 miles with key officials and family members. The trip through the South and West loops through the country and brings the government “to the people.”
MARCH 3: With the Forest Reserve Act, President Harrison’s administration sets the future National Forest Service in motion. MAY 5: Carnegie Hall opens, with Tchaikovsky conducting. JULY 7: Out of necessity, Marcellus Berry of American Express creates the first travelers cheque. AUGUST 24: Thomas Edison patents the kinetoscope motion picture camera. OCTOBER 1: Stanford University opens its doors for the first time. DECEMBER 25: Father Charles Uncles, the first black priest in U.S. history, is ordained, celebrating his first mass over the Christmas holiday.
Now Taking Applications
2017 Future Presidents of America
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Now accepting applications for the Class of 2018, June 25 - June 29 (ages 12-16)
The Future Presidents of America youth leadership camp is an innovative and engaging program with a mission of developing individual confidence, civic literacy and good citizenship to reveal the exceptional qualities of character that make for great presidents and leaders. Aswepreparefortheprogram,elevenyoungleadershavebeenspeciallyselectedas“Superintendents Scholars” by the Superintendents of the eleven districts in Marion County. We are very excited to welcome some of the best and brightest students that our community has to offer! Space is limited to a total of 20 young leaders (ages 12-16). All selected participants receive full scholarships ($400 value). Application deadlines and forms are available at www. futurepresidents.us
Thank You We are proud of our Future Presidents of America alumni, who continue to partner with us as volunteers and supporters. 2015 alumnus Stuart Anker came back this past summer to help restore a reproduction Harrison fence for his Eagle Scout project. We asked him to share his thoughts on the experience: The reason I wanted to pursue this project specifically is because the Harrison home had helped me so much that I really wanted a way to give back....The fence was simply a token of my gratitude for such a fantastic organization. It was also tangible enough that I could come back to it years later and still see it standing.
Civil War Camp July 16-20 . Ages 9-12
Attention! Civil War Camp will be highlighted by interaction with Civil War re-enactors, drill practice, and other aspects of a soldier’s life in the Union Army. This very active camp will utilize fun activities including enlistment, marching, daily camp life, music, field surgery and early photography. Trips will be taken to destinations such as the War Memorial and Crown Hill Cemetery. Register today at dpleiss@bhpsite.org. Please note: This camp is limited to only 20 spaces, so register today!
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THANK YOU! Partner Spotlight S pecial T hanks
We are grateful to the following funders and sponsors for supporting the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in 2017: Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation Arbutus Garden Club Arthur Jordan Foundation Arts Council of Indianapolis Ball Brothers Foundation Brandt Construction, Inc. Catalyst Public Affairs Group Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) Central Indiana Senior Fund, a CICF affiliate Christel DeHaan Family Foundation Commercial Artisan Garden Party George Thomas Florist Gregory & Appel Hoosier Park Racing & Casino Hotel Tango Image Builders/Rowland Printing Indiana Arts Commission Indiana DAR, Inc. Indiana Energy Association Indiana Grand Racing & Casino Indiana Humanities Indiana Office of Tourism Development Indianapolis Garden Club King Park Development Corp. Kroger Lacy Foundation
Lilly Endowment Inc. Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Lumatic Imagery Marion County Master Gardeners Association MOLLUS Monarch Beverage Company Nicholas H. Noyes Jr. Memorial Foundation Old National Bank Pacers Sports and Entertainment Corp. Peine Engineering PLOW Digital R.B. Annis Educational Foundation RATIO Architects REI Real Estate Services, LLC Sagamore Institute Sease, Gerig & Associates Strada Education Network Summer Youth Program Fund Sun King Brewing Co. LLC Teachers Credit Union The Dorsey Foundation, Inc. The Emily Fund The National Bank of Indianapolis Visit Indy WFYI Wilks and Wilson Wing Fund for the Arts & Humanities
Did You Know?
Great news! Drawing on our digital collection, student partners at the School of Informatics at IUPUI won “Best in Show” on Friday, December 8, for their Capstone Project, “Artifacts & Artifiction/PrintAPresident.” The Presidential Site staff would like to congratulate and thank the project team of Kennedy Davis, Justin Sylvester, Robert Sunderlin, Tori Roessler and faculty supervisor Zebulon Wood. We look forward to sharing some of the key interactive elements from the project soon!
From the Collection
M
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rs. W.H. Harrison and her family of Harrison descendants recently made a generous donation to the museum, a remarkable collection of 34 items, including original Harrison family apparel and personal accoutrements. The contribution includes elegant accessories such as purses and fans. Here’s a peek!
Pink Ostrich feather fan
with mother of pearl and celluloid spine. The front side of the mother of pearl is decorated with floral and leaf design incised with leaves painted a dark color and flowers outlined. The metal loop handle has jeweled stones.
Macramé bag purse
Off-white with a draw string. It has seven sections of braiding with different patterns, an intricate pattern throughout the body of the bag and two triangle extensions at the bottom. The threads under these extend for fringe. Inside is a cream silk liner bag.
Velveteen hat
This Victorian black cotton velveteen hat sits on back of the head. It has a large black feather and is decorated with sequins on the edge and top knot. There are seven large black jewel stones on the back, four in the center, two on either side, and one at the top of the tie. The hat is silk lined and gathered on the inside. There is a hat pin in the back of the hat with a white end. Look for future “Coffee with the Curator” events to get a closer look at these items and many more from our collection!
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Volunteer Experiences
Award Winning Volunteers! On September 27, the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site honored our volunteers with a celebration at the University Club. During the event, we recognized four volunteers for their outstanding contributions to preserving the legacy of Benjamin and Caroline Harrison. This year Martha Buehner was awarded the Marianne McGeath Apple of our Eye Award for her volunteer work with school tours and programs. Martha was also an instrumental coordinator for our Future Presidents of America leadership camp. The White Glove Award was presented to Mike Back (left photo) for his consistent efforts in respecting and helping to protect the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site home and artifacts. Mike has also been gracious enough to loan the Presidential Site original Victorian toys from his collection, among other artifacts. Ruth Ann Dorn (right photo) was awarded the inaugural Special Events Award. This is presented to a volunteer who played a vital role in the development and execution of our Special Events. Ruth Ann has always been a vital volunteer for our events, and even helped develop a portion of the hands-on activities for our Independence Day Social. Pete Oren was this year’s Volunteer of the Year. Pete devotes his time to helping maintain the gardens as one of the master gardeners. When Pete isn’t making the grounds more beautiful, he continues to volunteer in the Welcome Center interacting with and assisting guests.
BeCOme a VOLUnTeer!
BeCOme a VOLUnTeer!
Share, engage and amaze
at the exquisitely restored home of America’s Hoosier President Contact Lukas Ramey at lramey@bhpsite.org
Exhibit: A Trip to Unify
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he 2018 New Century Curator exhibition is entitled “A Trip to Unify,” and it features President Benjamin Harrison’s journey west by rail to unite a nation. The exhibition follows President Harrison and his presidential party on an 1891 cross-country train trip through the South and West of the country, as the travelers visited states and territories that ordinarily would not have had the pleasure of a sitting-president’s visit. First, an itinerary was drafted, covering nearly 10,000 miles and 21 states and territories. The President made nearly 150 speeches along his journey, speaking to countless Americans who eagerly awaited his arrival.
10,000 miles . 150 speeches . 31 Days .
Mr. John C. Shriver, a correspondent for New York’s The Mail and Express, provided a complete account of the speeches given by President Harrison. Mr. Shriver left 12 hours ahead of the President’s train, arriving in time to record the reception of the presidential party. Though President Harrison made both formal speeches and impromptu addresses to people who gathered to hear him speak, Mr. Shriver writes, “Each speech caused a great amount of enthusiasm, for the President said just enough not to tire the people, but to make them wish for more.” In the early hours of the morning on April 14, 1891, President Harrison’s train “The Presidential Special” left Washington, D.C. with 16 members of the presidential party, not including train engineers and members of the crew. The party included First Lady Caroline Harrison, her niece Mrs. Dimmick, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Harrison (the President’s son and daughter-in-law), Mrs. McKee (the President’s daughter), Postmaster General Wanamaker, Secretary
of Agriculture Rusk, reporters, the Passenger Agent of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the U.S. Marshal of Washington, D.C. and the President’s military aid and stenographer. The topics of the President’s speeches varied throughout the trip depending on his geographic location, though there were themes that were used in nearly every city and consistently elicited cheers and great applause from the crowds. In the South he spoke about Reconstruction and how the old conflicts of the past had passed away, saying in Greenboro, Tennessee that, “there shall be one flag and one Constitution…it is the flag of the free…to every one perfect freedom is guaranteed within the limits of due respect to the rights of others.” In Texas he discussed the importance of opening new lines of international trade, and in California he called for the development of a stronger navy. Among other popular themes in the President’s speeches was that of the United States flag. President Harrison had a great admiration for the flag, which, in a speech
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in Boise City, Idaho, he said, “symbolizes a free republic; it symbolizes a nation; not an aggregation of States, but one compact, solid government.” Upon returning to the Midwest, President Harrison spoke with great sentiment and admiration for the places in which he was born and raised. He touched on the friendliness of the citizens in the Midwestern states, and in Omaha One Big Idea 00 Nebraska said, “I am sure these friends who have delighted us with visions of loveliness and prosperity will excuse me if my birth and early training in Ohio and Indiana lead me to the conclusion that the States that raise corn are the greatest States in the world.” Upon returning to Washington, D.C., the President personally thanked each crew member and engineer aboard the train who had worked to ensure a pleasant and successful trip for the presidential party. Mr. Shriver wrote that the president shared his thankfulness for a trip without incident or accident, and was grateful to those who had gone to such lengths to prepare such a complex itinerary. Mr. Shriver, who reported that he had arrived three hours ahead of the President’s train in Washington, concluded that once the presidential party had exited the train, they were “homeward bound, and the train was left alone, dust-stained and travel-worn, to tell its tale of the great ten thousand mile journey.” __ Allison Kraft, 2017 Curatorial Fellow
Coming Soon
New Century Curator Initiative This exhibit is a collaborative effort between the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site and the IUPUI Museum Studies program. Our New Century Curator initiative seeks to afford innovative opportunities for Museum Studies students. Much in the way a “thesis show” is a culminating experience for MFAs, this is a defining opportunity for a student to explore and interact with a nationally - significant collection. The goal of this intensive semester is to conceive, design and execute an exhibit in partnership with the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site. Our objective is to help grow a new generation of museum curators through collaborative training and hands-on experience with conservation, preservation, and innovative exhibit design.
Partners & Collaborators IUPUI School of Liberal Arts
Allison Kraft, 2017 Curatorial Fellow Elee Wood, Ph.D., Project Mentor Elizabeth Kryder-Reid, Ph.D., Interim Director, Museum Studies Program Proposal Team: Bethany Crocker, Gabe Taylor, Amelia Whitehead, Chie Yamamoto Faculty: Cathy Hamaker, Craig Wetli (MSTD A512 Exhibit Development and Design, 2016)
Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site
Jennifer Capps, VP of Curatorship & Exhibitions Andrea Neal, Chair of Collections & Exhibits Collections & Exhibits Committee: Robin Bankhead, Diane Crabtree, Roger Hardig, Tom Huston, Scott Keller, Mike McQuillen, Sue Ridlen, Susie Sogard, David Yount (Additional support was provided by the IUPUI Center for Service Learning, Sam H. Jones Community Service Scholarships.)
Coming Soon
Murder . IN . Triplicate
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repare for an evening of intrigue, mystery and murder as Candlelight Theatre presents Murder in Triplicate!
Three one-act plays, written by resident playwright James Trofatter, will entertain patrons as they rotate through three rooms of the Presidential mansion. Ambient lighting, candlelight, and artifacts of the 23rd President of the United States set the stage for a most unique theatre experience.
. . .
Betsy is performed in the back parlor. A newlywed couple arrives home after a whirlwind romance. But they find they are not alone. The ghost of the husband’s former love tugs relentlessly at the couple, slowly revealing the facts of her unexplained death. In the dining room patrons will experience The Photograph Album. Elizabeth Robbins and her brother are still trying to cope with the murder-suicide of their parents. They reminisce through the family photo album to discover that one of the photographs is missing. As they delve further through the album, a horrifying mystery reveals itself. The Companion is staged in the master bedroom. Mrs. Forester, an invalid woman, becomes suspicious that her new nurse might be trying to poison her. As the evidence mounts, and the terror intensifies, pieces of the puzzle come together to show that all is not what it seems.
PERFORMANCE DATES AND TIMES April 13 & 14 I 20, 21, 22 I 27 & 28 Friday and Saturday performances - 8pm curtain Sunday matinee - 2pm curtain
TICKETS
$19.95 Presidential Site members and students ages 6-12 $23.95 Adults Performances will sell out - reservations strongly suggested. LOOKING FOR A V.I.P. EXPERIENCE? Book a private room for up to 20 guests & enjoy a night with friends, family, clients, or coworkers!
THANK YOU TO OUR SEASON PARTNERS
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Six Degrees . of .
Coming Soon
What does our 23rd president have in common with Frederick Douglass, Marilyn Monroe, and the tag on the inside of your shirt? Six Degrees of Benj. Harrison is a new exhibition that reveals the unusual and extraordinary ways our 23rd president connects to other popular figures and our modern world, through his geneology, life choices, and actions. Register today for the member opening on March 8 at the Presidential Site.
Ben jam i ns H ai rr i s oe n Pn r e st i d ei na t i a ll Site P r e d Site
Save the Date!
Saturday, June 3, 2017
Saturday, June 2 11:00 am - 4:30 pm
Join the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site for one of the most fashionably unique events in Indy! Don your game whites and hit the court for a wicketly fun day. Your participation supports a wonderful cause - proceeds from the Wicket World of Croquet event help underwrite educational programming for the almost 18,000 school children that visit the Presidential Site each year. Don’t miss your chance to experience (or learn) croquet as it was meant to be played! There are a number of ways to participate: sponsor a court; play in the competitive or leisure bracket; fill your own bracket; or come hang out at the porch party! because you look chic in white, Sign up today at PresidentBenjaminHarrison.org! enjoy green grass on sunny days,
Volume 44, Issue 1
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