October 2004
SPECIAL ISSUE: Celebrating the American Presidency
in America’s National Parks

Celebrating the American Presidency in America’s National Parks
(Washington, D.C.) -- The National Park Service has developed and made available in time for this years’ presidential election, a web site to help visitors learn about NPS sites they can visit to find out about our presidents and the job of President of the United States. By visiting the Celebrate the American Presidency in America’s National Parks website at: http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/pres/celebrate.htm, people can learn of the many special places managed by the NPS that celebrate and commemorate our presidents. In addition to a list of parks, the web site includes information and web links to books and documents related to the theme of the Presidency, an overview and list of several relayed national park sites, and presidential trivia. For more information about the web site, contact Gerry Gaumer, (202) 208-6843.

Don’t Be Afraid to Go to the Park
(Quincy, MA) -- Adams National Historical Park, where both President John Adams and President John Quincy Adams are remembered, will host a candlelight tour of the Hancock Cemetery, one of New England’s oldest burial grounds. On Friday, October 29, 2004, visitors are invited to take a guided tour and watch as three centuries of historic figures, including John Adams, come back to life and share stories and little known facts about Quincy’s past. Following the tour, visitors are invited back to the park visitor center at Adams NHS for refreshments. Activities will take place at the Hancock Cemetery and the Adams National Historical Site in Quincy, MA, between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. The program is free to the public. For more information about this special program, contact the park at (617) 770-1175. Public Affairs Contact, Gerry Gaumer, (202) 208-6843.

The French Militia Are Back
(Farmington, PA) -- Fort Necessity National Battlefield, where George Washington was first tested in battle, is again being occupied by soldiers of New France. On October 9 and 10, 2004, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day, a detachment of New France militia (Gallup’s Detachment) will set up camp in the Great Meadows near Fort Necessity in Farmington, PA. In addition to demonstrating soldier life at the fort, the militia group will perform a variety of 18th century activities in camp, including traditional camp cooking, woodworking, leatherworking, scrimshaw, and sewing. Visitors to the encampment are encouraged to interact with the reenactors and ask questions about the activities and the events of the 18th century and learn what life was like for a soldier at the time of the French and Indian Wars in America. For more information about the program, contact Tom Markwardt at (724) 329-2013. Public Affairs contact, Gerry Gaumer, (202) 208-6843.

Join the Harvest
(West Branch, IA) -- The public is invited to a re-creation of a traditional 19th century community harvest and celebration at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. On October 9, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., visitors are invited to participate in hands-on activities that will include gathering garden produce for winter storage, grinding apples, pressing cider, stringing apples to dry, husking corn and using the shucks to stuff mattresses for the cradles at the historic site. Herbert Hoover NHS commemorates the life of our 31st President and contains the cottage where Hoover was born, a blacksmith shop similar to the one owned by his father, West Branch’s first one room schoolhouse, the Friends Meetinghouse where the Hoover Family worshipped, and several homes of the era. For more information about this event, contact the park at (319) 643-2541. Public Affairs contact, Gerry Gaumer, (202) 208-6843.

Do You Know Who James A. Garfield Was?
(Mentor, OH) -- James A. Garfield--preacher, educator, soldier, lawyer, and U.S. Congressman--became the 20th President of the United States in 1881. His Presidency, cut short by assassination, lasted just 200 days. James A. Garfield National Historic Site preserves the property associated with the 20th President of the United States. The home, named Lawnfield by reporters, was the site of the first successful front porch campaign in 1880. James A. Garfield was President from March 4, 1881 until his death on September 19, 1881. Four years after his assassination, the Memorial Library wing was added by Mrs. Garfield and her family - setting the precedence for presidential libraries. Visitors can take a 35 minute tour of Garfield’s home, tour the park visitor center, and see an 18-minute video about Garfield’s life. For more information about visiting this national park and to learn about our 20th President, contact the park at (440) 255-8722. Public Affairs contact, Gerry Gaumer, (202) 208-6843.

George Washington’s Other Winter Encampment
(Morristown, NJ) -- During two critical winters of the Revolutionary War, 1777 and 1779–80, the countryside in and around Morristown, New Jersey, sheltered the main encampments of the American Continental Army and served as the headquarters of its commander-in-chief, General George Washington. Morristown National Historical Park preserves sites occupied by the Continental Army and interprets the history and subsequent commemoration of these encampments and the extraordinary fortitude of the officers and enlisted men under Washington’s leadership. The park is offering a variety of special events this fall and visitors are invited to come learn about this important story of the American Revolution and the leadership of George Washington. A brief list of events follows: Hike to the Huts, October 3; Fall Weekend, October 16 and 17; Martha Washington Reception, November 7; A Veteran Remembers, November 14; and Paying for the War, November 19. For more information about these events, contact the park at (973) 539-2016, ext. 210. Public Affairs contact, Gerry Gaumer, (202) 208-6843.

Come to the Ranch
(Johnson City, TX) -- Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park tells the story of our 36th President in a unique and encompassing way. The story begins with Lyndon Johnson's ancestors, tracing the influences his family and his beloved Texas Hill Country had on the boy and the man. President Johnson had a deep attachment to place and heritage. The LBJ Ranch was where he was born, lived, died, and was buried. Mrs. Johnson still lives at the Ranch part time. The focal piece of the LBJ Ranch is the LBJ Ranch House, the home of President Johnson and a center of political activity for more than 20 years. Leaders from around the world visited the Johnsons here, and during the Johnson Administration it became known as the Texas White House. It was, and still is a working ranch today, the National Park Service maintains a herd of Hereford cattle descended from Johnson's registered herd and manages the ranch lands as a living demonstration of ranching the LBJ way. For more information about visiting the ranch, contact the park at (830) 868- 7128 ext.244. Public Affairs contact, Gerry Gaumer, (202) 208-6843.

Where America’s Presidents are Commemorated Everyday
(Washington, D.C.) -- President’s Park (The White House) is a unique unit of the National Park Service. The history of all 43 United States Presidents and First Ladies is commemorated everyday at this site. This fall, a variety of special events will be available for visitors to the White House Visitor Center at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue, in Washington, D.C. The events are free to the public and reservations are not required. The events are as follows: Portraits from the President’s House: The Staff of the Executive Residence, George Washington and James Hoban (living history), Thomas Jefferson (living history), and Martha Washington (living history). For more information about these special events and visiting the White House, contact the park at (202) 208-1631. Public Affairs contact, Gerry Gaumer, (202) 208-6843.

What Else Do You Know About Ulysses S. Grant?
(St. Louis, MO) -- Most Americans know that Ulysses S. Grant was the general that defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee in the American Civil War, but fewer can tell you much about his life before the war or what he accomplished as the 18th President of the United States. The National Park Service manages and preserves the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, one of the lesser-known areas of the NPS. Established as a unit of the National Park Service in 1990, the park commemorates the life, military career, and Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, as well as his wife Julia Dent Grant. The site, also known as White Haven, consists of 9.65 acres holding five historic structures (main house, stone building, barn, chicken house, and ice house). Visitors to the site can take a ranger led tour or take a self-guided tour to learn more about this man who did so much for the nation but who so few really understand. For more information about visiting the site, contact the park at 314-842-3298. Public Affairs contact, Gerry Gaumer, (202) 208-6843.

The Shaping of an American Army
(Valley Forge, PA) -- Valley Forge was one of, if not the, defining moment for George Washington's Continental Army during the American Revolution. It was at Valley Forge that Washington and his staff made the Continental Army into the fighting force that eventually won American Independence. This fall Valley Forge National Historical Park will host several special events for the general public to learn more about that important time in our history. The events offered this fall are as follows: The Continental Army, October 3; The Road to Valley Forge, October 9; Washington’s Policemen: Von Heers’ Regiment, October 10; and Survivors, November 7. For more information about these special events, contact George Matlack or Marc Brier at (610) 783-1077. Public Affairs contact, Gerry Gaumer, (202) 208-6843.

"The Little Magician"
(Kinderhook, NY) -- Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, in Kinderhook, New York is the home of the eighth President of the United States, Martin Van Buren. Van Buren’s life is framed by major points in our country's history. His birth in 1782, the last year of the American Revolution, was marked by the promise of that seminal event; his life and work, by the tumult of antebellum politics and finally his passing, in July 1862, by the tragedy of the Civil War. He was instrumental in the establishment of many of the political practices and party politics which saw the new nation from its inception to its trial by ordeal; he was responsible for forming the coalition that became the modern Democratic Party. He ran for the presidency twice more while residing at Lindenwald and spent the years after 1848 as an elder statesman, political advisor and gentleman farmer. Van Buren was often called "the little magician" for his shrewdly opportunistic political leadership. Lindenwald appears as it did when Martin Van Buren lived there and as such it allows for an understanding of President Van Buren's life and times. For more information about the site, contact Jim Mckay at (518) 758-9689. Public Affairs contact, Gerry Gaumer (202) 208-6043.

George Washington Was Born Here
(Washington’s Birthplace, VA) -- George Washington was America’s first and greatest hero. During the Revolution, he turned undisciplined militia into the victorious army at Yorktown. Under his leadership, the Constitutional Convention forged a people’s government that has lasted over two hundred years. With a keen sense of history, he executed his presidency knowing that he was setting the model for future presidents. And, most remarkably of all, he willingly gave up power. Located in the Northern Neck of Virginia, George Washington Birthplace National Monument preserves the heart of Augustine Washington’s plantation, the 17th century homesite of the immigrant John Washington, and the Washington Family Burial Ground. George Washington’s Birthplace contains a Memorial House and dependencies constructed in 1931 near the site of the original Washington home. Here, in the peace and beauty of this place untouched by time, the staunch character of our hero comes to the imagination. For more information about visiting the site, contact John Frye at (804) 224-1732. Public Affairs contact, Gerry Gaumer, (202) 208-6843.

Chief Justice and President
(Cincinnati, OH) -- The William Howard Taft National Historic Site commemorates the only man to serve as President and Chief Justice of the United States. The house that Taft was born in has been restored to its original appearance. A visit to the site includes a tour of the restored birthplace and four period rooms that reflect the family life during Taft's boyhood. The home also includes second floor exhibits highlighting Taft's life and career. The Taft Education Center, located adjacent to the Birthplace, houses an orientation video, exhibits on later generations of the Taft family, and classrooms for visiting schools. The signature exhibit of the center is an animatronic figure of the President's Son, Charlie Taft. Charlie tells stories about different family members. The site is open seven days a week from 8:00 am. to 4:00 p.m. Closed January 1, Thanksgiving Day, and December 25. For more information about visiting the site, contact the park at (513) 0684-3262. Public Affairs contact, Gerry Gaumer, (202) 208-6843.

JFK
(Brookline, MA) -- One of the lesser-known areas in the National Park System, John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site preserves the birthplace in 1917 and boyhood home of the 35th President of the United States. The modest frame house at 83 Beals Street in Brookline was the first home shared by the president's father and mother, Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, and represents the social and political beginnings of one of America’s most prominent families. Four of the nine Kennedy children were born while the family resided at 83 Beals — Joe, Jr., John, Rosemary, and Kathleen. When John Kennedy was four years old, his parents sold the house and moved to a larger residence nearby, where they lived until 1927. For more information about visiting the site, contact the park at (617) 566-7937. Public Affairs contact, Gerry Gaumer, (202) 208-6843.

Would you like to receive Parktips in your email?
The National Park Service has created an email mailing list called NPSNews. NPSNews subscribers receive via email, Parktips, as well as other timely national park related news items. Using email allows us to communicate this information quickly and efficiently. As fax machines have replaced postal mailing lists, email represents the next generation of information distribution. If you would like to receive NPSNews, just send an email to majordomo@webmail.itc.nps.gov. In the body of the message, write, "subscribe npsnews". You should receive a confirmation message shortly thereafter. Contact: NPS Office of Public Affairs, (202) 208-6843.

Last Update: October 5, 2004
NPS Office of Public Affairs
Webmaster: Rick_Lewis@nps.gov