>> REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY WAS PROCLAIMED TO SAVE AGENCY OF HIGHEST HUMAN FREEDOMS.

AMERICA HAS SEVERAL HUMAN AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTIES WHICH ULTIMATELY WILL AFFECT DELIBERATION OF ALL MANKIND.

>> WHENEVER YOU VISIT ANY MUSEUM, THERE ARE ALWAYS COLLECTIONS OUT THAT YOU CAN SEE.

A LOT OF TIMES THEY KEEP COLLECTIONS IN STORAGE THAT THE PUBLIC DOES NOT GET TO SEE.

TODAY WE'RE AT THE WARREN G. HARDING PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM WHERE THEY'RE GETTING THINGS OUT OF THE VAULT FOR US TO LOOK AT, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING SOME OF THE ITEMS.

HI, SHERRY.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

>> NICE TO MEET YOU.

>> SO WE'RE HERE IN MARION, OHIO, AT THE WARREN G. HARDING PRESIDENTIAL SITES.

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE SITE?

>> I'D BE HAPPY TO.

WE HAVE AN UNUSUAL SETUP HERE IN THAT WE HAVE AN HISTORIC HOME WHERE THE HARDINGS LIVED FOR 30 YEARS PRIOR TO GOING TO THE WHITE HOUSE.

WE HAVE A BRAND-NEW PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM, AND WE HAVE THE NEARBY PRESIDENTIAL GRAVE SITE WHERE PRESIDENT AND MRS. HARDING HAVE BEEN LAID TO REST.

SEEING ALL THREE SITES IN ONE TOWN IS UNUSUAL.

>> WHEN WAS WARREN G. HARDING PRESIDENT?

>> HE WAS PRESIDENT FROM 1921 TO '23.

SO HE DIED IN THE MIDST OF HIS FIRST TERM.

29 MONTHS IN OFFICE, BUT HE'S GOT A FULL STORY TO TELL.

THAT'S WHAT WE DO HERE.

>> I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING STUFF IN YOUR COLLECTION.

CAN WE LOOK AT IT?

>> LET'S DO IT.

>> ALL RIGHT.

>> THIS MUSEUM IS CHRONOLOGICALLY LAID OUT SO YOU START WITH THE EARLY LIFE OF BOTH LAUREN AND FLORENCE HARDING.

WE HAVE MORE THAN 5,000 OBJECTS IN OUR COLLECTIONS.

AND SO YOU'RE JUST SEEING A SMALL PORTION.

BUT A COUPLE THINGS TO POINT OUT -- WARREN'S FATHER WAS A HOMEOPATHIC PHYSICIAN, THIS IS HIS MEDICAL BAG.

FLORENCE HAS HER SIDE SADDLE THERE.

THAT DATES TO 1870.

GOT IT WHEN SHE WAS JUST 10 YEARS OLD.

SO A LOT OF THINGS THAT TELL US ABOUT THE PERSONALITIES OF THE HARDINGS YOU'LL FIND IN THE MUSEUM HERE.

THE PIANO WAS MADE IN 1860, AND IT'S CALLED A CYCLOID PIANO.

IT HAS THREE LEGS.

THAT'S WHAT FLORENCE LEARNED TO PLAY ON.

SHE WAS TRAINED AS A CLASSICAL PIANIST.

AND THEN AS WARREN GOES INTO ADULTHOOD, HE TALKS TO FRIENDS INTO BUYING A LITTLE DOWN-TRODDEN NEWSPAPER HERE CALLED "THE MARION DAILY STAR."

WE HAVE HIS KEY TO THE OFFICE.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE KEY IS HE CARRIED IT IN HIS POCKET EVEN WHILE HE WAS PRESIDENT.

HE FELT THAT CONNECTION TO WHAT HE ALWAYS CONSIDERED HIMSELF TO BE WAS A NEWSPAPERMAN.

THE POLITICS IS THE NEXT STAGE OF WARREN'S LIFE.

AND THAT NEWSPAPER CAREER HE STARTED WAS THAT NATURAL SPRINGBOARD.

THIS IS ACTUALLY HIS OHIO SENATE DESK.

>> HOW LONG WAS HE A SENATOR?

>> HE WAS A SENATOR JUST FOR ONE TERM, AND THEN HE BECOMES LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF OHIO, RUNS FOR GOVERNOR, BUT HE LOSES THAT ELECTION.

AND THEN HE'S ELECTED TO THE U.S. SENATE.

SO HE IS OUR FIRST SITTING SENATOR TO BE ELECTED PRESIDENT.

SO THIS IS IT.

>> WOW.

>> THIS IS WHAT WARREN HARDING WORE TO HIS INAUGURATION MARCH 4th, 1921.

HE WAS INAUGURATED OUR 29th PRESIDENT.

THE PODIUM IS THE VERY ONE THAT HE USED.

AND THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THAT DAY WAS THERE WAS AN AMPLIFICATION SYSTEM USED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

WE'RE GOING TO GET A LITTLE FLAIR FOR FLORENCE'S TASTE NOW, AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE SOMETHING THAT THE PUBLIC USUALLY DOESN'T GET CLOSE TO.

>> ALL RIGHT.

LET'S GO LOOK AT IT.

>> THIS IS MRS. HARDING'S REPRODUCING PIANO.

AND THIS IS A VERY SOPHISTICATED PLAYER PIANO.

A LOT OF OPERA SINGERS ADVERTISE THAT THEY USE THIS BRAND OR THAT BRAND OF REPRODUCING PIANO TO PRACTICE WITH.

>> IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR HER TO HAVE ONE LIKE THAT.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

REMEMBER, SHE'S GOT THAT CLASSICAL MUSIC BACKGROUND.

AND I'M GOING TO TURN IT ON SO YOU CAN HEAR WHAT IT SOUNDED LIKE.

WE HAD THIS RESTORED BECAUSE WE WANTED PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT THE HARDINGS HEARD.

>> YOU HEARD WHAT THE HARDINGS HEARD 100 YEARS AGO.

>> THAT'S AMAZING.

>> MUSIC A BIG PART OF THEIR LIVES.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL I HAVE TO SHOW YOU TODAY.

I'VE GOT THINGS FROM COLLECTION STORAGE THAT I PULLED OUT ESPECIALLY FOR YOU.

>> ALL RIGHT.

LET'S GO SEE THEM.

>> SO HERE IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT ITEMS HERE.

CAN YOU WALK US DOWN THE TABLE?

>> I'D BE HAPPY TO.

THIS PLAQUE WAS GIVEN TO WARREN HARDING ON THE DAY THAT HE LEFT MARION TO GO TO THE WHITE HOUSE.

THAT WAS MARCH 2nd, 1921.

THE INAUGURATION'S TWO DAYS LATER.

IT'S FROM THE CITIZENS OF MARION, THANKING HE AND FLORENCE FOR BEING GOOD CITIZENS AND SUPPORTING THIS TOWN.

THEY ONLY CAME BACK TO MARION ONCE DURING THE TIME THEY WERE IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

THAT WAS FOR MARION'S CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.

I HAVE A VERY ORDINARY ITEM HERE.

THIS IS A SHIRT COLLAR.

AND IT'S ANOTHER EXTRA STEP IN GETTING DRESSED, YOUR SHIRT WOULD NOT HAVE A COLLAR, YOU'D HAVE TO FASTEN THE COLLAR ONTO IT.

BUT IT'S ALWAYS GOING TO LOOK CRISP AND FRESH AND FORMAL, AND YOU MIGHT CHANGE THESE A COUPLE TIMES A DAY.

AND ANOTHER ORDINARY THING, THIS IS ONE OF HIS HANKER CHIEFS.

I KNOW IT'S REALLY SMALL, BUT IT HAS A MONOGRAM WITH WGH ON IT.

AND WE'VE ACTUALLY COPIED THAT MONOGRAM BECAUSE THE HARDINGS HAD IT ALSO ON THEIR LINENS.

IN THE DOORS HERE AT LIBRARY.

THERE'S A LOT OF DETAILS IN THE DESIGN OF THE BUILDING, AS WELL.

NOW, THIS IS A WESTERN UNION TELEGRAM SENT TO MR. HARDING'S FATHER, DR. GEORGE T. HARDING, HERE IN MARION FROM FLORENCE.

THIS IS DURING THE TIME HE'S EXTREMELY ILL IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, THEY'RE NOT SURE HE'S GOING TO MAKE IT.

AND THIS IS DATED JULY 30th, 1923.

AND HE IS GOING TO DIE JUST A FEW DAYS LATER.

>> HE DIDN'T SERVE THE FULL PRESIDENCY THEN.

>> HE DID NOT.

HE SERVED 29 MONTHS.

SO CALVIN COOLIDGE, HIS VICE PRESIDENT, WAS SWORN IN THE NIGHT OF AUGUST 2nd.

THE FEDORA HERE, ONE OF MY FAVORITES BECAUSE, AGAIN, A VERY ORDINARY THING FOR A MAN TO WEAR, AND IT DOES HAVE HIS NAME IN HERE.

>> THERE YOU GO.

WARREN G. HARDING.

>> YEAH.

HE WORE THIS HAT.

IT WAS MADE IN NEW YORK.

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY RECOGNIZABLE TO MR. HARDING.

HIS MOTHER MADE IT.

>> OH.

>> PHOEBE HARDING MADE THIS, IT'S CALLED A CRAZY QUILT.

NO RHYME OR REASON TO IT REALLY.

AND HE WAS VERY, VERY CLOSE TO HIS MOTHER.

SHE DIED IN 1910, THE SAME YEAR HE LOST THE RACE FOR OHIO GOVERNOR.

AND REALLY THAT TOOK HIS ENERGY OUT OF THAT CAMPAIGN.

THEN THE LAST ITEM IS PRETTY UNUSUAL, BUT THIS IS A PORTABLE MOVIE PROJECTOR.

THIS WAS USED IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

MR. HARDING DID EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY.

THAT'S WHEN RADIO IS IN ITS INFANCY.

AND OF COURSE, SILENT MOVIES -- >> WERE THEY SEEING THEM AT THE SAME TIME?

DID THEY GET A PREVIEW?

>> THEY WOULD GET A LIST OF ONES TO CHOOSE FROM.

THEY MIGHT CHOOSE A BUSTER KEATON AND CHARLIE CHAPLIN FOR VIEWING.

THEY'D INVITE SOME FRIENDS OVER, AND THEY'D BE UNSTARTS IN -- UPSTAIRS IN THE RESIDENCE OF THE WHITE HOUSE MUCH THE HALLWAY WOULD BE THE IMPROMPTU MOVIE THEATER.

>> THE PERK OF BEING A PRESIDENT.

>> IT IS.

THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE STILL INSIDE IT.

>> THAT'S AMAZING.

THESE ARE A LOT OF GREAT ITEMS.

HOW DID YOU GET HOLD OF ALL OF THIS?

>> THIS WAS MRS. HARDING -- I PUT HER ALWAYS AT THE TOP OF THE SUCCESS OF OUR SITE TODAY.

SHE HAD WILLED THE HOUSE AND THE MAJORITY OF CONTENTS TO A GROUP CALLED THE HARDING MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION.

MOST OF OUR PRESIDENTIAL SITES HAVE NOT EVOLVED THAT WAY.

THEY HAVE SOMETIMES RUN INTO DISREPAIR, AND THEN SOMEONE HAS THE INSIGHT TO SAY WE NEED TO SALVAGE THIS SITE, WE NEED TO PUT IT BACK TOGETHER.

THAT'S NOT OUR STORY HERE.

WE STAY PRIMARILY INTACT FROM THE TIME THAT MRS. HARDING DIED IN '24 UNTIL THE MUSEUM -- WHICH WAS CALLED THEN AND THE HOME OPENED ON THE '26 TO PRESENT DAY.

THAT'S WHY WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR OPENING VAULT TO SEE SOME OF THESE ITEMS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO THE WARREN G. HARDING MUSEUM.

>> YOU'RE VERY WELCOME.

WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE PEOPLE COME HERE AND VISIT, AND PROUD TO SHARE IT WITH YOU TODAY.

>> THANK YOU.