On August 27, 1920, an interesting moment in American history took place – not in the back hallways in Washington, D.C. or Columbus, but rather much closer to home.
A candidate of a major political party running for the office of President of the United States upended his campaign and, on a dime, changed his strategy. He chose Galion as the place to do that adjustment.
Republican candidate Warren G. Harding, who had conducted to that point the last “front porch campaign” in US political history, decided to do a speech somewhere other than on Mount Vernon Avenue in Marion for the very first time. His choice in doing so was to come to Heise Park in Galion, where he spoke to a large gathering of railroad employees.
The precise location for that speech and eight other sites in Galion connected with either US Presidents or First Ladies are the subject of a new brochure created by Preserving Galion, Inc. and now available at the Gill House.
The brochure first answers the question “Why Galion?” Why would a small town in the middle of north central Ohio have such a draw? Why would multiple US Presidents visit here and speak to those gathered?
From Fairview Cemetery to the Big Four Depot, you can now trace the paths of these men, including Harding, Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, and others. This also applies to First Lady Florence Harding, who lived in Galion with her first husband and child long before her marriage to the future President.
This is the first of what is planned to be a series of brochures available from Preserving Galion. It is available for purchase at the Gill House starting this Sunday, May 7 during regular tour hours from 1 to 3 PM. The price is $2 with any regular $5 tour purchase.
