Give Rutherford a Break

February 13, 2021 PT

In honor of President’s Day on Monday, I wanted to do a feature on one of our U.S. Presidents. Obviously, to be President is a great accomplishment. Whether for good or bad, becoming President gives you a permanent place in history. All aspects of your life are part of history now and forever. For example, your residence becomes a tourist attraction. And, your grave is a hallowed monument to your life. Lastly, your birthplace becomes a historical marker. Lets focus on birthplaces. So, please allow me to show you some examples with a few of our Ohio Presidents…

In the small southwestern Ohio town of Point Pleasant, Ulysses S Grant was born in 1822. As a reluctant politician, Grant probably ranked as an above average President. Whatever your thoughts, his place in history is secure. To honor is legacy, tourists may visit his small birthplace home. Furthermore, the Historical Marker details the story of his home and early years. I give you the birthplace of President Ulysses S. Grant…

Additionally, beyond President Grant, Ohio offers other worthy examples. Our 27th President, William Howard Taft, does not appear to have had the same humble beginnings as Grant. Be that as it may, this more up scale home was the birthplace of President Taft in Cincinnati in 1857. Taft’s birthplace is actually part of the national park service and receives about 20,000 visitors per year (pre-COVID).

Enough already! Certainly, I know what your are thinking. What’s this got to do with the post’s title of “Give Rutherford a Break?” To that point, I was talking about our 19th President, Rutherford B. Hayes. President Hayes was born in 1822 about 10 miles from my home in the small town of Delaware, Ohio. Obviously, in such a small town in Ohio, President Hayes is easily the most noteworthy person to be born in Delaware. Certainly, the city of Delaware honors President Hayes greatly. His birthplace must be a very popular tourist attraction…

Wait for it….

So, there you have it! If you are thinking his birthplace looks a lot like a BP Gas Station, you are correct. Surprisingly, it IS a BP Gas Station. That’s my truck on the far right. As the story goes, Standard Oil Corp. purchased the home/property of Rutherford’s birthplace in 1921. After discovering that it was a Presidential birthplace, Standard Oil offered to sell it back to the city for $8,000. Standard Oil even spotted them the first $500. But, the Rutherford enthusiasts were only able to raise $4,760. So, Standard Oil said the heck with Rutherford and demolished the Presidential birthplace. In his birthplace, Standard Oil built the original gas station on this site. They tried to make it all better by adding the historical marker in 1927. But, not to worry! So as to not dishonor Rutherford too much, the city of Delaware also tried to make amends….

Yes, that’s right. They gave President Rutherford B. Hayes a statue among the winter dining igloos in the seating area of the local pizza parlor. To be fair, it is good pizza. But, come on man! Give Rutherford a Break! He deserves better than demolishing his birthplace and making him stand in a pizza parlor. I think Rutherford is the Rodney Dangerfield of Presidents. Its not fair, but that’s the sad truth of Rutherford’s legacy. Have a great Presidents Day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed “Give Rutherford a Break!” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

If you enjoyed that post, you may also enjoy https://travelingwithpt.com/happy-birthday-philo-farnsworth-%f0%9f%8e%81/

For more fascinating reading on Rutherford…https://millercenter.org/president/hayes