A Day in the Life of a Site: Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums
Posted December 4, 2023

Ever wonder what it takes to run an Ohio History Connection site? Our amazing site staff members work hard to maintain the physical site, create programming, provide customer service and more! Take a peek behind the scenes at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums to see what a typical day is like for the staff.

 

 

 

 

Front desk receptionist Dan Baker, who also works as a docent, tells visitors with all of the things that they can do at Hayes Presidential.

 

 

 

Education Coordinator Alina Hart handles our school tours and educational programming. She teaches a class at the local YMCA for preschoolers to introduce them to history. Here, they’re making a story block about President Hayes.

 

 

 

 

Head Librarian John Ransom helps a patron use the microfilm machine in the library.

 

 

 

 

Executive Director Christie Weininger is often asked to speak to various groups about President and First Lady Hayes, the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums and other topics related to the museum field. Here, she speaks with a group at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.

 

 

 

School tours are a regular thing here at Hayes Presidential, and staff and volunteer docents give them. Here, Bette Kaltenbach, who is also one of our board members, gives a tour to students.

 

 

Spiegel Grove is an arboretum, as well as the estate of President Rutherford and First Lady Lucy Hayes. There are tons of people walking here daily, no matter the season, and they often bring their dogs. The grounds crew decided to put out a refreshment station for the pups, and the crew keeps it clean and filled.

 

 

 

 

Curator of Manuscripts Julie Mayle uses our new Bookeye scanner to scan oversized documents. We obtained this scanner last year, and it allows us to digitize large documents that we couldn’t scan in the past due to their size.

 

 

 

Hayes Home Guide Denver Jordan gives a tour of the Hayes Home. We’re proud that the first floor of the Hayes Home looks as it did when President and First Lady Hayes lived here and that most of the artifacts are original.

 

 

 

Special Events and Volunteer Coordinator Joan Eckermann works with many volunteers to make the Christmas Dinners at Spiegel Grove a success each year. Here, they work with holly leaves taken from a tree at Spiegel Grove to make some of the dinner décor. The dinners are a beloved tradition at Spiegel Grove and sell out quickly each year.

 

 

 

 

Curator of Artifacts Kevin Moore handles our special exhibits. One of those is our annual model train display, the “Hayes Train Special.” Here, Kevin is working on the setup. The display will be open through Jan. 7, 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Director of Development Sue Berryman presents a welcome bag to a new business member of the Sandusky County Chamber of Commerce. Sue is a chamber ambassador and part of the BNI Fusion group through her work at Hayes.

 

 

 

 

Building and Grounds Superintendent John Havens and the grounds crew are always keeping watch on the grounds. Here, John saw this deer on the night security camera. Deer have damaged some of the trees at Spiegel Grove, so now when new trees are planted, a wire fence is put around them to protect them. Visitors love seeing the deer.

Learn more about the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums by visiting yourself!  Click here for up-to-date days and hours of operation, as well as the phone number and address.

Ohio History Connection members enjoy free general admission to the Hayes site, as well as our 50+ other historic sites and museums. Visit ohiohistory.org/get-involved/join-membership to become a member!

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