The Benjamin Harrison home is a definite must for the Indiana historian. The home is in excellent condition currently, although I am quite remiss in saying that while approximately seventy-five percent of the house’s contents are period correct, a much smaller percentage was specific to the family. The home is very much a museum to both the President and the time, which is in contrast to the James Whitcomb Riley home whose mission is to maintain the authenticity of the home, the contents, and the story. The two homes are very much from the same time period and therefore we tended to juxtapose the two during our visit.
President Harrison received many gifts both during his time as a practicing lawyer and as President of the United States. A great number of the items, some of which are highly unique, are located at the home for public viewing. A couple of these gifts can be found in the first floor library, including a larger-than-life bookcase that was built inside the home, in pieces, because of its incredible size. The bookcase now holds a great deal of the President’s personal books and references for his law practice. You will also see a rather unique chair made out of animal horns and Bobcat hide (not to be easily forgotten) gifted to Harrison from one of his Texan clients.
One of the most exciting elements of the tour can be found in the Back Parlor. Our tour guide played a disc of Beethoven on an antique Reginaphone that belonged to the family, demonstrating the sound quality that still remains after so many years. It was quite unexpected and pure entertainment.
There is an eery awareness in the President’s master bedroom when you find out that Harrison passed away on that very bed in 1901. Another point of interest in the room was the portable gym owned by the President. A portable gym was an item for the upper classes of the time. The case held a variety of wooden dumbbells and a pulley system for weightlifting.
President Harrison is known for being the President to have electricity integrated into the White House; it is no small surprise that his home does also display the technology. While there were a number of “modern” additives, the home didn’t feel exceptionally innovative. One important technology definitely absent from the home is indoor plumbing.
The Harrison home was renovated and rededicated around 1960 and is highly accessible to the public. With the exception of one room, tours are able to enter all rooms that are a part of the experience.
We visited both the James Whitcomb Riley home and the Benjamin Harrison home on the same day. The visit to the Harrison home takes about 90 minutes and tours begin on the hour and half hour. The entrance fee is $8.00 per person ($7 with AAA and $6 for seniors) and the museum accepts both cash and charge. We definitely recommend arriving 15 minutes before your tour to view the home’s exterior. The Harrison home is mostly handicap accessible and includes an elevator - however there are stairs that must be traversed in order to enter the home. The grounds do contain a carriage-house that is a reproduction built upon the original foundation. The carriage-house is not a part of the standard tour, however our guide mentioned that upon request they would be more than happy to show us the building.
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