June - On the road to The Country Sampler Retreat

The Country Sampler was grand!    The 16 hours in the car, not so.    I had wanted to make it to the Toledo area by the end of the first day…..we managed to get to Sandusky.  

On the way we first stopped at Little Creek Needlework's in Canton, Ohio.   A lovely little shop and purchases were made.  The owner is a super nice, lovely lady.

Below is the Jane Marshall Sampler.  I saw this version a couple of years ago when I stopped at this shop and now again on this trip.  This pattern was from Hands Across the Sea as a fundraiser for the people of Australia when they had devastating fires years ago.   The pattern came with no color chart and you were to pick your own.    I tell myself I never stitched it because I couldn’t decide the colors I wanted to use.   The first time I saw this done monochromatically I knew that was what I wanted to do.  It was moved to being on my radar but hasn’t come any closer to the ‘active’ list yet.

We also drove past the giant Football Hall of Fame Complex.   It looked like a small amusement park with all its buildings and venues and parking lots. 

While in Canton, we visited the First Ladies Museum.  It is part of the National Park System.    The museum is housed in an old bank and the architecture was stunning.    The concept of a museum dedicated to the First Ladies of the United States was that of  Mary Regula.  She spearheaded the push to establish the museum.   She co-founded the organization with her husband, Ralph Regula.   He played a key role in gaining the support of Hillary Rodham Clinton,  First Lady at that time.    Established in 2000, it is still a youngster as far as Museums go.   Also housed in the building is their  research and reference library of all things First Lady!   

A close up of the entry door.

The entry hall

The Gift Shop, originally the vault room.

The Museum was divided into “eras”.   There was memorabilia, personal belongings and little write-ups about each First Lady in that era. 

Original letter written by Ann Harrison to her grandson.

Sarah Polk’s Mourning Pendant, complete with a lock of hair in the back.

Dolly Madison’s Inauguration Gown on the left, in comparison to Ida McKinley’s on the right

Mamie Eisenhower’s Gown, on the left, Melanie Trump on the right.

Julia Grant’s shoes

This is a lithograph of a New Year’s Reception at the White House where President and Mrs. Lincoln greeted the public in 1862.   This tradition was started by Abigail Adams in 1801.    The tradition ended at the end of the Hoover Administration in 1932.

Mamie Eisenhower on the cover of Life

Bess Truman’s note to a reporter declining a request for an interview.

Many of the First Ladies had their famous quotes shared.   You go Florence Harding!

Eleanor Roosevelt’s correspondence.

I am not sure which First Lady’s gown this is.  I tried zooming in on the placard but that didn’t help.

It is from the Progressive Era, 1900 - 1917.  Maybe Mrs. Teddy Roosevelt?

Each era include bits and pieces of what was happening in the country and the world at the time they were in the White House.

I thought this was an iconic photo.   Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Nancy Raegan, Barbara Bush, Rosalyn Carter and Betty Ford.  What a powerhouse of women and knowledge.  The commonality that they were all married to a President and lived in the White House as well as in the spotlight.

Regardless of politics, First Lady’s had some moving words.  Click and zoom in to read the small print.

All kinds of bits and pieces from campaigns and time in office.  How about that souvenir ashtray?   Unheard of today.

We left the museum and walked across to the McKinley Homestead.   Saxton House, is actually the childhood home of Ida McKinley.

I learned a great deal about President and Mrs. McKinley/Ida.   For the time, Ida’s parents were very progressive about education and their daughters.   Both daughters were college graduates and traveled to Europe on their own.   Both girls had jobs.   Ida worked in her father’s bank.

It was said that William McKinley was smitten with Ida so he would go to the bank quite often just to catch a glimpse of her.  And it wasn’t even his bank!  It was truly a love story between them.  But, not one without tragedy.  When they were first married, they lived in the St. Cloud Hotel.  Her father bought them the house but once Ida became distraught over the death of her youngest daughter, she and William moved into  Saxton House.   Bedrest was ordered and for that reason, she and William moved into the family home.  Ida then suffered the loss of their  eldest daughter as well as her mother in quick succession.   She had taken a fall at her mother’s funeral hitting her head.   This brought on what we now think was epilepsy.  Among her ailments were that her walking was impaired.   She had also lost some adroitness in her right hand.  

President McKinley went to great lengths to accommodate her needs.    At any an official event the President and First Lady were to sit at opposite ends of the table.   President McKinley always made sure wherever they were, that he was by her side in case she took a ‘turn’.  She was given  bromide to ‘help’ her spells which lead to bromide poisoning.   She was frail and William doted on her.   Many of the tasks associated with the First Lady were passed to the wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Jennie Tuttle Hobart.  After McKinley was assiasinated, Ida visited his gravesite daily.   After his death, it is said that she lost her will to live.  She died 6 years after him and is buried along side Presiendet McKinley and their two daughters.  

Ida’s dressing table in their third floor living quarters.

The details in this home are amazing.   This is the chandelier and medallion in what was President McKinley's home office.

 McKinley’s home office

And look at this…..it is President McKinley’s traveling desk.  It collapses or folds up somehow.

The wallpaper in this home and this how was unbelievable.   One room was reported her 20-some different wallpapers in it.   This is the CEILING on President McKinley’s home office.   God bless the paper hangers!!!

Another view of his office and you can see the ceiling paper.

This is the room that is said to have all the different wallpapers papers.   Meticulous work.  

After years of disrepair, the building was repurchased by the family and then donated for the museum. They were able to contact the factory in France and find a copy of the original wall paper Mrs. McKinley had chosen for the diner room.   That is some crazy record keeping for sure. 

The stairway was fabulous.

Mrs. McKinley was a crocheter.   She made thousands of crocheted slippers.   It was an honor to receive a pair from her.   She gave many to the surviving wives and children of military families.   Almost always crocheted in her favorite blue color.    Now, if you were very important, she would make you purple ones.   But, if she was not a fan of yours or you asked for a pair, she would crochet yellow ones for you.

On the main floor, there were more goodies to be viewed.

This was the children’s dining room, just off the formal dining room through the doorway seen on the right.

Ida was a socialite and enjoyed dressing the part.

Main dining room

Family photo of the house from the early 1900’s.

The custom made chandelier was lost to the home over the years the house was not in the hands of the family.    Miraculously it was somehow spotted in a consignment store in Florida and brought back to its original home.   I should have stood just a little more to the right to get the same angle as the original photo.

Ida’s father (or maybe grandfather?)

More examples of the wallpaper in the entry hall.

A beautiful home.  The original home to the left and the addition on the right.

On the road and heading west.   We walked into the hotel and were greeted by a sign that said “Bike Week”.   Hmmm, could be a noisy night, but it was not.   Across the street was a little bar with good food that the hotel recommended.    First question asked - were we there for bike week?    I mean a round, little old gray hair lady with only stitching on her mind????     I wish I was quick enough to have thought to say, “Yes, I am.  My husband is outside cleaning the bugs off our windshield and stowing our stuff in the sidecar.  OK, they were 20-something’s from the corn belt, I doubt they would have gotten my humor.  

Day 1 done and more to follow in the new week or so.  Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.