[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4953]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RUTHERFORD B. HAYES PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & 
                                MUSEUMS

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the 100th 
anniversary of the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums in Fremont, OH. 
On May 30, 1916, COL Webb Hayes, son of President Rutherford B. Hayes, 
made his father's papers and artifacts available to the public for 
research with the opening of a library and museum on his parents' 
estate, Spiegel Grove. It was the first in what is now a Federal 
presidential library system.
  Spiegel Grove is unique in that the former President's home, tomb, 
museum, and library are all on the same site, which sits on 25 acres 
surrounded by six sets of gates originally located at the White House. 
The site has continued to grow and change since its opening. In 2012, a 
$1.5 million restoration of the Hayes Home was completed. Major 
additions to the museum in 1922 and 1968 brought the building to its 
present configuration comprising of 52,640 square feet. In January 
2016, the museum temporarily closed to the public to undergo a $1.6 
million renovation, which will premiere Memorial Day weekend 2016.
  It is the mission of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & 
Museums ``to enrich lives through the historical preservation of 
Spiegel Grove and to provide a greater understanding of President Hayes 
and his contributions to the State of Ohio, the country, and his fellow 
Americans.'' In keeping with that mission, the organization uses its 
resources, including 21,000 artifacts, 80,000 books, and 6,000 linear 
feet of manuscript collections, to illustrate the life and times of 
Rutherford B. Hayes, his family, and his Presidency.
  We are honored to have this American treasure located in the State of 
Ohio.

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