Like the rest of us, our nation's presidents are diverse. Theyare the children of the wealthy and educated, the children of thepoor. They were born on plantations in Virginia, in modestwood-frame homes on the Midwestern plain, on ranches in Texas cattlecountry. They are the sons of ministers, of farmers, of land barons,of laborers.
And some of the homes where they were born are open to thepublic. To visit those homes is to be reminded of several things: ofour right to travel to those homes, of our right to aspire to theirposition, of their origins, which often were humble, and of our rightto elect the leaders of our choice.
George Washington: Born Feb. 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Va.The original house burned in 1779. A memorial house wasreconstructed on the site. A Colonial farm, kitchen and workshopalso help show a typical plantation. The land is tilled by oxen andthe crops are the same as those planted during Washington'schildhood. Washington's great-grandfather, grandfather and fatherare all buried there, about 38 miles east of Fredericksburg, Va.,near the Potomac River. John Adams: Born Oct. 30, 1735, in Braintree, now Quincy, Mass. Thehouse, at 133-141 Franklin St., Quincy, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.daily, April 19 through Nov. 10. John Quincy Adams: Born July 11, 1767, in Quincy, Mass., next doorto the house in which his father, John Adams, was born. Visitinghours are the same. William Henry Harrison: Born Feb. 9, 1773, on Berkeley plantationhalfway between Richmond and Williamsburg in Charles City County, Va.The original Georgian mansion, built in 1726, is furnished withantiques. It is sited in 10 acres of formal terraced boxwood gardenson the James River, Virginia Route 5, Charles City, Va. Abraham Lincoln: Born Feb. 12, 1809, in a one-room log cabin inHodgenville, Ky., in rolling hills in the central part of the state.The log cabin, which has been reconstructed on the original site, ishoused in a stately granite memorial on the site of Lincoln's birth.At the time the family lived there, Lincoln's father was a farmer.The memorial, three miles south of Hodgenville on U.S. 31E, is opendaily. Andrew Johnson: Born Dec. 29, 1808, in the kitchen of an inn wherehis parents worked in Raleigh, N.C. The two-story rustic kitchenstructure features a huge fireplace. In 1975, the home was moved toMordecai Historic Park, a 1785 plantation at 1 Mimosa St., Raleigh,N.C. Ulysses S. Grant: Born April 27, 1822, in a one-room home in PointPleasant, Ohio, overlooking the Ohio River about 15 miles fromCincinnati. Now a three-room frame cottage, Grant's birthplace hasbeen furnished with period items. Of interest are a pair of bootsand a leather chest, both made by Grant's father, who was a tanner.The birthplace, on Ohio 232, is open April 1 through Oct. 31,Wednesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed noon to 1p.m.), and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Grover Cleveland: Born March 18, 1837, in the parsonage of the FirstPresbyterian Church in Caldwell, N.J., where his father was aminister. The house is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday. Theodore Roosevelt: Born Oct. 27, 1858, in a Manhattan town house.On its original site at 28 E. 20th St., the four-story brownstone isa reconstruction of the house built in 1848. Along with an adjacentbrownstone that also was reconstructed, it contains five period roomsand two museums. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Woodrow Wilson: Born Dec. 28, 1856, in a Presbyterian manse inStaunton, Va. Built in 1846 in Greek Revival style, the 12-room housecontains furnishings and mementos of the Wilson family. A guidedtour includes the house with original furnishings, exhibits, theformal Victorian garden and Wilson's Pierce-Arrow limousine.Wilson's birthplace is open daily, except Christmas, Thanksgiving andSundays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 24 N. Coalter St., Staunton, Va. Herbert Hoover: Born Aug. 10, 1874, in a blacksmith's cottage inWest Branch, Iowa. The modest home, now restored, can be visited atHerbert Hoover National Historic Site, 10 miles west of Iowa City offInterstate 80. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Born Jan. 30, 1882, at the family estate onthe Hudson River in Hyde Park, N.Y. Bought by his father in 1867, thehome, called the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, isfilled with original furnishings and family memorabilia. It is opento the public, as is the adjacent Franklin D. Roosevelt Library andMuseum, on New York 9 in Hyde Park. Both FDR and his wife Eleanorare buried in the Rose Garden. Open April through October, 9 a.m. to5 p.m.; November through March, Thursday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 5p.m., closed Tuesday, Wednesday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and NewYear's Day. Harry Truman: Born May 8, 1884, in Lamar, Mo. The 1 1/2-story homebuilt in 1878 was bought by his parents for $685. It is filled withperiod furnishings and Truman's baby pictures. The address is 1009Truman St., Lamar, Mo. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday throughSaturday, Sunday noon to 5 p.m., closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, NewYear's Day and Easter. Dwight D. Eisenhower: Born Oct. 14, 1890, Denison, Texas, in atwo-story white frame house on what is now the Eisenhower StateHistoric Site, 208 E. Day St., Denison, Texas. The house has beenrestored to its 1890 appearance. Denison is about 50 miles north ofDallas. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. John F. Kennedy: Born May 29, 1917, in a wood frame house inBrookline, Mass., a suburb of Boston. The house still stands (notfar from the home of 1988 presidential candidate Michael Dukakis) at83 Beals St., Brookline. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.(the last tour is at 4:15 p.m.). Don't miss the recorded tournarrated by Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. Lyndon B. Johnson: Born Aug. 27, 1908, in a small farmhouse on thebanks of the Pedernales River in Gillespie County, Texas, about 15miles west of Johnson City. A reconstruction of the originalfarmhouse sits on the original site, rebuilt by Johnson in 1964.Because Lady Bird Johnson still lives on the ranch at times, thebirth site is accessible only by a bus tour of the LBJ ranch atLyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. The park, which alsohouses the Texas White House and the Johnson Family Cemetery, is opendaily (except Christmas) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Richard Nixon: Born Jan. 9, 1913, in a small frame house in YorbaLinda, Calif. It is under construction as the future site of alibrary, museum and archives. Furnishings and mementos from theoriginal home have been preserved for use in the museum. Target datefor opening the home is July, 1990. The grounds are not open, but itis possible to catch a glimpse of the farm on the corner of Eurekaand Yorba Linda boulevards. Gerald R. Ford: Born July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Neb. The house Fordwas born in was destroyed by fire in 1971. In 1977, the site wasbought and developed into a memorial. It houses a fountain and theBetty Ford Rose Garden. The memorial, at 3200 Woolworth Ave., isopen daily, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Ronald Reagan: Born Feb. 6, 1911, in an apartment above a bakery at111 S. Main St. in Tampico, Ill. The building, later turned into abank, now houses a museum on the first floor. The second floor isundergoing restoration. The museum is open May through November, 10a.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment. George Bush: Born June 12, 1924, in a house at 173 Adams St. inMilton, Mass. The private home is not open to the public.
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