INDIANAPOLIS — On Presidents’ Day, visitors are stepping back in time at the home of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president of the United States.
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Music from a Regina music box echoes through the historic house, offering a glimpse into life in the late 1800s.
“We can still play ours,” said Lindsey Beckley, the director of special events and marketing at the Benjamin Harrison presidential site. “It makes a really beautiful sound.”
The home showcases artifacts and stories from Harrison’s life.
“This is our horn chair. An inaugural gift given to Harrison by a Texas rancher,” said Beckley.
In the library, visitors learn about Harrison’s career as a lawyer.
“We are standing in the library of Benjamin Harrison, our 23rd president,” Beckley said. “Throughout his life, he was a career lawyer before and after the presidency. This room is where he would have done a lot of his work when he was home, along with his office that was on the Circle here in downtown Indianapolis.”
The tour continues into the dining room, where guests can view Harrison’s presidential china. His wife, Caroline Harrison, helped formalize the White House china collection.
Upstairs, visitors can see the bedroom where Harrison died in 1901. The bed is adorned with a centennial quilt and is the same bed in which he passed away.
Museum staff hopes the experience offers a deeper connection to history.
“I hope they really get to connect with history on a deeper level,” Beckley said. “When you’re going to big monumental museums or learning in a classroom, it can be harder to connect on a personal level. When you’re actually in somebody’s home, it makes it different.”
The home also highlights the Harrison family’s long tradition of civic engagement. Harrison’s great-grandfather, William Henry Harrison, also served as president. His great-great-grandfather, Benjamin Harrison V, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Visitors even get the chance to sign their own copy of the Declaration of Independence as part of the interactive experience.
To learn more about events at the Benjamin Harrison Historical Site, you can visit this page.
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