About Lawnfield, James A. Garfield National Historic Site

The James A. Garfield National Historic Site, also known as Lawnfield, contains the home, outbuildings and collection of the Garfield Family. James Garfield purchased the nine room home and approximately 160 acres of land in 1876, and quickly expanded the home to 20 rooms to accommodate his large family, itinerant farm hands and domestic servants. Around the completion of the construction in 1880, James Garfield became the Republican candidate for the presidency. He gave patriotic speeches from the front porch of his Mentor home, and thrust the area into the national spotlight. Reporters named the home Lawnfield because of the wide expanse of lawn on which they literally camped out during the campaign.
Following the President’s untimely death in 1881, his widow Lucretia expanded the home once again, this time adding the first presidential memorial library and vault in the nation. This fireproof room held his personal letters and papers, as well as books he treasured. This library set a precedent for Presidents to have libraries built in their honor.  Garfield’s family continued to live at Lawnfield until 1936, when the grown Garfield children gave the house and its’ contents to the Western Reserve Historical Society to operate as a museum. On December 28, 1980 Congress authorized the property as a National Historic Site. A $12.5 million, six year restoration took place during the 1990’s, and a grand re-opening was held in 1998 to celebrate the new James A. Garfield National Historic Site. The Western Reserve Historical Society continues to operate the Site and maintains ownership of the collection.

The fully restored home contains eighty percent original Garfield items.  Most of the twenty-nine rooms are available for viewing on a regular tour, and several programs allow special access to areas not shown to the general public. Other structures on the 7.82 acre site include the carriage house (recently rehabilitated into a visitor center), the campaign office, the 75-foot tall pump house/windmill (also recently restored),gas holder, granary, barn, and chicken coop with run. A tenant house completes the list. The Visitor Center , housed in an 1893 carriage house, features exhibits and an 18-minute video on the life and career of James Garfield. The grounds feature wayside exhibits describing the buildings and historical events. To learn more about other structures on the Lawnfield site click here.