Visiting presidential sites
More Than A Day Away By Mike Steely
We have another presidential inauguration coming and it reminded me of the many times my wife and I have encountered presidents or their homes. I was stationed in Washington, D.C., in the 1960s and represented the Coast Guard in many events including taking part in the second inaugural parade of Richard Nixon.
I am very fortunate that my military service and profession have allowed me to visit presidential places and even see some of the chief executives in person.
Before those experiences, I remember when my wife and I were leaving a movie at a downtown theater and were halted by D.C. police in the middle of the street. Several cars went by and one of them, a long black limousine, had a face peering out. It was President Lyndon Johnson.
Also, while in D.C., I was assigned to the National Cathedral for the funeral of Dwight Eisenhower. I was in full uniform and held the door for members of the U.S. Senate. It was an inspirational service and I was proud to be there.
While stationed in the National Capitol we visited George Washington’s estate at Mt. Vernon and we’ve returned to D.C. several times to see the sites and, once, to tour the White House while Bill Clinton was in office. On one visit, we visited President John Kennedy’s grave in Arlington National Cemetery where I had represented the Coast Guard at several military burials. We also visited the site where Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.
We visited Clinton’s boyhood home in Hope, Arkansas, and I remember seeing his childhood room in the small wood-frame house. It certainly wasn’t a mansion but it was wonderful to realize that someone from such humble beginnings could become president.
Back in D.C., we toured the Ford Theater where Lincoln was assassinated and when visiting the Lincoln Memorial we stood where Martin Luther King Jr. spoke. In later years we visited Lincoln’s birthplace cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky, and his family home in Springfield, Illinois.
On a later trip to Virginia, we visited Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, near Charlottesville and Woodrow Wilson’s home in Staunton.
We were very privileged to talk with Jimmy Carter at a convention in Louisville, Kentucky, prior to his campaign for the presidency. He was open and friendly. After he left office we visited his childhood home in Plains, Georgia. Carter’s Library in Atlanta has a duplicate of his Presidential Oval Office and lots of things from his four years in office and as that state’s governor.
Also, while in Georgia, we visited Warm Springs, the site of President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Little White House” near Columbus.
We had a chance to see, in person, Presidents Ronald Reagan, at the opening of the Knoxville World’s Fair, and Barack Obama at an event at Pellissippi College. Almost-presidents we’ve seen in person include Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale.
We’ve been to the Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson, and the home of President James K. Polk in Columbia, Tennessee.
If you’re interested in presidential history, you might want to think of going to the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in nearby Greeneville, Tennessee. There you can visit his homestead and museum or you might even like to drive up the hill overlooking the community and visit Johnson’s grave.
