Spirits of Garfield family members have strong reasons to reside and visit here.

The resident female spirit keeps an eye on the living,
acting like a welcoming presence to the staff and visitors.

DESCRIPTION

The Garfield House National Historical Site is also known as Lawnfield: James A. Garfield Estate. It is as beautiful and impressive as it was when Lucretia and family lived there.

Tom and I visited on a fall road trip in 2021. We parked in the back of the property near the visitor’s center in what was the horse barn. There was an interesting museum and gift shop there, where visitors could read about Garfield’s life and death, while waiting for their house tour to start.

Visitors can also walk around the large back acreage, and see the many fruit trees the Garfields had, and the other buildings, including the tenant’s house, the old campaign house, the carriage house and the windmill pump house.

Stepping into the home is like going back in time. The family’s original furniture and possessions are in place. The tour starts on the first floor where there is a foyer and hall, with various rooms found off the hall, including Garfields study, the master bedroom, the parlor, his mother’s bedroom, the dining room and the kitchen. The cook and maid were given nice rooms and a salary as well.

His mother’s bedroom has pictures of James on all the walls. There is a beautiful stained glass likeness of James, given to the family from the Congress and the Senate.

The staircase leads up to the second floor and its additions. Rooms include the library, Molly’s Room, the younger boys room, Zeb Rudolph’s room, guest rooms, servants rooms and of course the Memorial Library!

The Garfield Presidential Library is stunning, finished in white oak with an ornate beamed ceiling and carved wainscoting. From ceiling to floor, Garfield’s library is also quite eye-popping with the amount of books and materials, and writings.

HISTORY

In 1831, President James Garfield was born in a log cabin on a homestead established in Moreland Hills, Ohio. The son of Abram and Eliza Garfield, he was the youngest of four surviving children: one brother, Tom, and two sisters, Mehitabel and Mary. His brother John died in childhood before James’ birth.

In 1833, Abram died fighting a fire on his land at the age of 33, when James was just two years old. Eliza and her children worked together to continue on with life on their farm, and all helped to raise young James. “With determination, wise management, and the help of friends and family, Eliza and her children coped with material poverty through strong bonds of affection that never wavered.”

James grew up in this tight-knit family, a great example of how families can be. He did miss having a father, who could have taught him about life.
His precociousness appeared early at three years when he began reading the Bible. Eliza and his siblings realized his gifts and believed that he would do great things in his life.

As a sixteen-year-old, he tried his hand at being a sailor on the Erie Canal. When he came down with malaria, he decided to take his family’s advice, and applied himself in developing his mind.

He worked his way through higher education. He attended the Gauge Seminary, and then went on to study at Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (1851 to 1854) currently known as Hiram College. He worked as a janitor at first, while he established a preaching circuit among the neighborhood churches. He got a teaching position during his last year as a student.

He was then accepted at Williams College in Massechusetts as a junior in 1854, and worked at teaching penmanship at local schools. After graduating the second in his class in 1854, the second in his class, he returned to Hiram, Ohio, and taught at his old school, Western Reserve Eclectic Institute. The next year, being a much-respected educator, he was hired to be the principal of the school.

In 1858, Garfield married his sweetheart, Lucretia Rudolph, at her father’s house after a five year relationship of many ups and downs.

Soon after, John became a reader at a Columbus law office, and studied for the bar at home. He became lawyer in 1860, right after he became a politician.

Besides being a brilliant educator, Garfield was also a preacher for the Disciples of Christ, and had become a skilled debater. After wiping the floor with an atheist during their debate in 1859, he was nominated to run as the Republican candidate for the Ohio State Senate, and won.

Lucretia stayed at home alone a lot, during his two year term when he was living in Columbus part-time, but still the principal of Western Reserve Eclectic Institute.

One area where Garfield needed to improve was in keeping his relationship strong. The next five years were hard on their marriage.

On July 3rd, 1860, their daughter Eliza was born. The Garfields bought the house where John had stayed as a boarder while attending Western Reserve soon after. His wife and father-in-law worked to enlarge it while Garfield was away during the Civil War.

Feeling it was his duty to fight in the Civil War, Garfield resigned from office in 1861 and entered the Union as a commanding officer. He stayed until 1863, when he went back to a politician’s life in Washington D.C. as Ohio’s representative in the House of Congress, after President Lincoln asked him to return.

In December of 1863, three and a half-year-old Eliza died of diphtheria. In early 1864, Lucretia found out about her husband’s chick-on-the-side, a New York reporter by the name of Lucia Calhoun. When confronted, James admitted it and broke off the relationship.

When he caught malaria again, he went home to Hiram, where Eliza nursed him back to health. This did wonders for their relationship, because they both discovered how deeply they loved each other. Through the remaining years of their lives together, this love deepened and their devotion to each other grew.

After recovering, he went back to Washington D.C. to serve as Ohio’s Congressman in United States House of Representatives for a total of seventeen years.

As the Garfield’s family kept expanding, rooms were added onto the original Hiram house. Harry (1863-1942), James (1865-1950), Mary (1867-1947), Irwin (1870-1951), Abram (1872-1958) and Edward(1874-1876) came along to fill the extra space. Edward died from whooping cough, but the remaining five children made it to adulthood, and had productive lives in public service.

In 1876, James Garfield bought a Mentor, Ohio farmhouse and 153 acres of land from James Dickey who had built the original one and one-half story frame house. Garfield wanted his children to experience the kind of farm and country life that had taught him so much as a child.

It was a real farm, where they grew wheat, oats, barley, buckwheat, corn, rye, and hay. They also had swine, horses, cows and poultry. A tenant farmer who lived in a house on the property, supplied help to make the farm successful, providing an income for himself and the Garfields.

As the farmhouse was a fixer-upper opportunity, it require renovations and additions to bring it up to snuff, including another story, and an upgrade in the woodwork etc., including a wide front porch that ran across the length of the front of the house. It became a stunning example of a Queen Anne Romanesque home.

Following the tradition of the youngest child in a family taking care of elderly relatives, they invited Garfield’s mother Eliza Bailou Garfield, and Lucretia’s father Zeb Rudolph to live with them, as their home had a lot of room.

The attic was the room for the oldest two boys. On the second floor, Molly had her own room, and the two younger boys shared a room.

James was a hands-on father who loved to play and romp. He was “a mentor, a counselor and a comrade. It was a close-knit, loving family with a “bond of love between parents, parents and children, and between the children themselves.” (https://www.nps.gov/jaga/)

In 1880, Congressman James Garfield wanted to run for the Ohio Senate. However, at the 1880 Republican National Convention, Garfield found himself nominated for president. Republican delegates chose him after thirty-six ballets as the compromise candidate.

From the front porch of his Mentor farm home, he campaigned to the people who came to see him. It worked and he was elected. During his short term, he accomplished a lot before being mortally wounded.

He wasn’t afraid to take on the political class, not allowing powerful Senators to usurp his authority concerning executive appointments, making some powerful enemies in the process.

He was a spokesperson for agricultural technology, education, and civil rights for African Americans. He also wanted substantial civil service reforms, but didn’t see them signed into law before he was assassinated, though his Vice-President and successor Harding did so.

One such reform would have perhaps saved his life, having all wanna-be federal employees interviewed by a department of the federal government, instead of by the President.

Trouble came a calling. The mentally unbalanced Charles Guiteau thought that he had helped President Garfield get elected. He applied to be interviewed for a position at the American Consulate in Paris, France, but had no training.

He never got an interview with President Garfield. Somehow, Charles knew where Garfield was going to be, and shot him in the back at a New Jersey Train Station. While getting his revenge, he also got a trip to the hangman as well.

It is possible that Garfield’s political enemies, and those who posed as his friends set up his assassination through this man. The spirit of President Garfield deeply feels that this is what happened.

As the doctor couldn’t get the bullet out, it slowly led to complications that killed James three months later.

A friend of Garfield gave Lucretia 350,000 dollars from a fundraising effort, a “Go Fund Me” of the era.

Big changes were made in the years after his death. Lucretia and her children wanted to continue to maintain and improve the property in honor of James. The out-buildings that existed in the front, were moved to the back to provide green space. Lawn and trees were added in the yard-like park that ran down to the street.

Lucretia showed her unending devotion to him by building an addition onto the back of the second floor of the Mentor home, and establishing the first presidential library (built in 1883-1885). All of Garfield’s reference books, books that he wrote, his writings, letters he had received, and important papers now were located in one big library. This must have pleased his spirit, as he had always wanted a bigger library while alive.

She added more bedrooms on this extension as well for Molly, the boys room, a room for her father and a room for her mother-in-law. By the time she was finished, she had twenty-six rooms that could accommodate twenty people.

In 1893, Lucretia wanted to change the farm into more of a country estate by adding the Carriage House and Horse Barn. She also put in a windmill that provided water to the home.

Lucretia lived there with her mother-in-law and father as she finished raising her children. Son Harry bought the estate located right next to the family farm. Toward the end of her life, Lucretia had a winter home in California to avoid Ohio’s cold winters. She died in California in 1918.

Lucretia’s brother, Joseph Rudolph, lived in the house after she died, taking care of the home. He spent the rest of his life there, dying in 1934.

In 1936, Lucretia and James’ children decided to sell some of the 153 acres to developers, and donate the rest to someone who would take care of it, and open it up to the public as a museum. They donated the house and all its original items and belongings to the Western Reserve Historical Society which promised to do so.

At some point it was transferred to Lake County Historical Society, which was just as dedicated in preserving Garfield family’s home.

On December 28, 1980, to give it added protection, the United States Congress gave the Garfield Home the honor of becoming a National Historic Site.

The National Park Service worked alongside the Lake County Historical Society in maintaining and improving the site, until 2008, when the whole property was turned over to the National Park Service to own and maintain.

HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS

The Garfields’ forever home in Mentor is full of great memories, old possessions, and a dearly departed’s artifacts and books, providing strong reasons for the spirits of the Garfield family to spend their afterlives there.

Homes that were dearly loved by their owners, families and staff in life, often continue to be so during their afterlives.

Glensheen Mansion and the Congdon Estate, MN (Though suffering violent ends, the spirits of Elizabeth Congdon and her nurse, Velma Pietela, find peace and joy by spending their afterlives at a place they loved so well while alive).

Edith Wharton Estate: The Mount, MA (The spirits of Edith and husband Teddy, along with their friends, still find peace here, enjoying the mansion).

Joslyn Castle, NE (The spirits of the Joslyn family have reunited in their beloved forever home, a glorious castle).

Garfield House National Historical Site, OH (It is still the forever home of the spirits who were members of the Garfield family. Some just visit, while others reside to find peace for their restlessness).

House museums that have on display the former owners’ valued furniture, awards, personal items and favorite possessions often draw in spirits who still love their stuff.

Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park, NE (The spirit of Buffalo Bill likes to reside and peruse all his things on display to remember good times, when he isn’t over at the Irma Hotel).

Hammond Castle Museum, MA (Mr. Jack Hammond himself is still enjoying his castle; ever the spectral host and jokester! It remains the same as when he died).

Custer House, ND (After being completely reconstructed on the Fort Abraham Lincoln historic site, and filled with Custer Family furniture, pictures and personal items, the spirits of the Custer family and Custer’s officers moved back inside).

Garfield House National Historical Site, OH (The spirit of Lucretia Garfield finds peace and contentment by spending her afterlife in her favorite home, finding comfort in the Garfield Memorial library. The library also is loved by the spirit of President Garfield, who likes to continue to write his thoughts down on paper. It is the library that he had always wanted while alive).

Spirits who were betrayed and/or killed by others, often can’t rest and want restitution or justice.

Lumber Baron Inn and Gardens, CO (Two young women who were brutally murdered when they shared a room there, want their killer caught, as do the other spirits who reside with them).

Del Frisco Steakhouse, TX (A restless, angry murder victim, is continuously looking for his killer, wanting justice).

Stone’s Public House, MA (The card shark who was killed and buried without a trace wants his story told, and his life back. He lets the living know that he is still there).

Garfield House National Historical Site, OH (The spirit of James Garfield doesn’t think his assassin acted alone, but was paid to do so by others, and feels betrayed and angry that they got away with it).

Spirits of children who have had an untimely death sometimes choose to spend their afterlives in places where they were loved, and with spirits of family members as well.

McRaven House, MS (The spirits of two young boys who died of Yellow Fever still have fun as they reside here with the spirits of their parents and sisters).

Longwood Mansion, MS (The spirits of three of Julia and Haller Nutt’s children who died from disease still reside and play here, being near the spirits of their parents).

Waverley Plantation House, MS (Two spirit girls who suffered fatal events at the house still like to play and reside here with the other family spirits).

Garfield House National Historical Site, OH (The spirits of little Eliza and Eddie chose to be with their mom Lucretia, attaching to her after they passed).

Spirits also like to stay to be with other spirits of family members who have decided to stay in the family home.

Stranahan House, FL (The spirit of Ivy Julia Stranahan stays to take care of the spirits of her family members and the living as well).

LeDuc Mansion, MN (The patriarch of the LeDuc family has chosen to spend his afterlife in his forever home. His daughter stays with him to keep him company and enjoy the family mansion).

Herlong Mansion Bed and Breakfast, FL (The spirit of Inez decided to stay in the house that she loved, as well as keep a friendly eye on the owners. The spirit of her mother, Natalie, decided to stay with her and enjoys being the spectral hostess, giving a hand to the living by providing hospitality to guests).

Garfield House National Historical Site, OH (The spirit of Lucretia also takes care of the spirits of two elderly family members, besides her two spirit children, and the spirit of her beloved husband, who splits his time between his Mentor Home and Farm, and the house in Hiram).

MANIFESTATIONS

The house is full of great memories, former possessions, and a dearly departed’s artifacts and books, providing strong reasons for some of the spirits of the Garfield family to spend their afterlives there. Used to being in the public eye, spirits who reside here welcome people to tour their home, knowing that they have the place to themselves after the museum closes.

PARANORMAL FINDINGS

As the spirits who reside or visit here are not shy about showing themselves to the staff and visitors, there have been many actual personal appearances and signs of unseen presences.

Paranormal investigators are not allowed in, because the staff already know who is residing or visiting, and don’t want to upset the peaceful and friendly spirits.

Psychic Leta Berecek did some automatic writing in the Hiram Garfield House where the spirit of James Garfield also visits. The spirit of James Garfield wrote:“I am James Garfield. If you need proof, look at the candle. I am unhappy because so-called friends had me murdered.”

STILL HAUNTED?

Yes Indeed!

The spirit of Lucretia loves being the matriarch of the family in a place where she finds peace from the heart-breaking loss of her beloved, James Garfield. She loves the library found in the addition to the house where she can be near his books and papers, and even enjoys his company once more.

The added joy is having time with the spirits of her two children who died too soon, and having the company of the spirit of her father or brother, and the spirit of her mother-in-law. Best of all, the spirit of her James visits her as well.

LOCATION

8095 Mentor Ave
Mentor, OH 44060

The Garfield House National Historical site is located on 7.8 acres of its original farmland, and sits on Mentor Avenue on the outskirts of Mentor, Ohio.

National Park Service Directions: “From Interstate 90 – exit at Route 306 and head north to Route 20. East on Route 20 about 1.5 miles. Site is on north side of Mentor Avenue. From Route 2 – exit at Route 306 and head south to Route 20. East on Route 20 about 1.5 miles. Site is on the north side of Mentor Avenue.”

SOURCES INCLUDE

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Garfield
• https://www.hiram.edu/about-hiram-college/history-of-the-college/garfield-trail/
• lakeviewcemetery.com/visit/garfield-memorial
• https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/hiram-college-buys-james-a-garfield-home/95-316866117
• James A. Garfield House | Mentor Ohio | Real Haunted Place
• https://www.ohiohauntedhouses.com
• https://www.flickr.com/photos/leonandloisphotos/3744253229
• https://clevelandmemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/hiram/id/108/
• https://www.nps.gov/people/james-abram-garfield-1831-1881.htm

VIDEOS TO WATCH:

Hauntings of the James A. Garfield National Historic Site

Cleveland Ghost Stories Garfield house

Garfield House Virtual Tour