Linda and I went up to Mom’s on Wednesday because we were heading on a family adventure on Thursday with Mom and our sister Christie. We all love history, and Christie has been interested in the presidents since she was little. On Thursday, we headed to the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor.
Christie at James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Garfield House
The windmill was once used to pump water
The house was beautiful inside, filled with bookshelves, books, and pictures of Garfield. The story of his wife, Lucretia, and the work she did to expand the house and preserve Garfield’s papers, is a fascinating story itself.
Linda asked for restaurant suggestions at the Visitor Center. The staff can’t make recommendations, but they can give a few suggestions. We went to the Yours Truly Restaurant. It’s really a large diner, doing breakfast all day as well as lunch. Our kind of lunch place because there’s something for everyone on the menu. From there, we went to Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland. That’s the site of the Garfield Memorial, and a number of graves of well-known people from the Cleveland area. Since we were there late in the day, we’re going to have to go back. Maybe take the trolley tour of the cemetery.
The Garfield Memorial
My mother, at 90, walked up to the fourth floor of the memorial, the highest point in the cemetery, where you can see to Lake Erie. I did not, and Linda said I would have had a hard time with the stairs, particularly coming down on the winding narrow steps.
From there, we went to the Wade Memorial Chapel. Louis C. Tiffany designed the entire interior. Here’s the window seen when you enter the chapel.
However, the interior was designed by Louis C. Tiffany. “From the mosaic tile floor with its swirly design, up to the simple wood pews, and finally to the walls. The left and right walls contain massive panels consisting of thousands of cut pieces of mosaic glass, showcasing the ‘River of Life’ and the ‘River of Death.” (From Clevelandhistorical.org)
We had just time for one more site before the cemetery closed. I wanted to see the tombstone for Eliot Ness.
From there, we headed toward back to Mom’s, but I stopped at Quarry Hill in Berlin Heights first. Quarry Hill is an orchard. We bought apples and apple ice cream, and Mom made apple crisp for dessert. I’m putting in a plug for another Berlin Heights orchard right here. On the way up, Linda and I stopped at Burnham Orchards for apple cider. Burnham’s is a seventh generation family business, and I try to get there once every October for their cider.
Just a fun family adventure. We’re already talking about a spring trip to Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron. There’s so much to see in Ohio!
Stan Hywet Hall
