Volume 6 • Issue 6 • November/December 2019

Mary Jane Gallagher was one of Mrs. Garfield’s long-tenured housekeepers. Having started as a “dairy woman” on the Garfield farm, she worked a variety of different jobs until she became a housekeeper in the home for many years. Ms. Gallagher and Mrs. Garfield developed a close relationship; so much so that family stories state that in the event of Mary’s death, Mrs. Garfield sent a blanket of violets to her funeral, since she could not attend herself.

Spend the winter exploring your national parks!
As the hustle of the summer season comes to a close at
National Park Service sites, many are still open for everyone's
enjoyment all winter long! Parks such as Yosemite, Arches,
Yellowstone, and even James A. Garfield National Historic
Site all provide completely new perspectives and experiences
as the weather starts to change. Break out of your cold-weather
hibernation and explore all of the nature, beauty, history, and
culture your national parks have to offer you.
Here at James A. Garfield National Historic Site, we begin
our winter hours on November 1, opening Friday - Sunday
from 10a.m.-5p.m. Group tours, school programs, and
specialty programing are still available during the week by
reservation. For more information about how to explore
James A. Garfield NHS this winter season call 440 255-8722.

Winter Evening at Lawnfield

Back by popular demand, come and spend a holiday evening with Mrs.
Garfield at James A. Garfield National Historic Site at our Winter
Evening at Lawnfield on December 14 at 6p.m. In addition to live
music, refreshments, and a candlelit tour of the Garfield home, this year
Mrs. Garfield will be reflecting on the last winter that the family had in
the Mentor home before she started to spend her winters out in Pasadena,
as well as some of her California holiday memories. Space is limited and
tickets are required: $15 for 16 and up. For more information call the site
at 440-255-8722. To order tickets, visit our website for a link,
www.nps.gov/jaga. Wanting to spend some holiday time with your young
ones? Bring them to the site at 1p.m. on December 14 for a Winter
Evening at Lawnfield for Kids event. Enjoy old-fashioned gingerbread
cookies as Mrs. Garfield reads some of her favorite Christmas stories and
talks about some of her family holiday traditions. Children can also
complete “The Night Before Christmas” scavenger hunt if they tour the
decorated Garfield home. This kids program is free to the public, but
regular tour costs still apply; 15 and under are free!

Christmas in Camp
Being so far away from their
families during the winter months
of the Civil War, many soldiers
tried to replicate the family and
feeling of Christmas in their camps.
Many cartoonists, such as Thomas
Nast (image below), created morale
-boosting sketches for the benefit of
the soldiers and for the nation
during this season. Interested in
learning more about how Civil War
soldiers, North and South alike,
celebrated the winter holidays?
Attend the Leaders and Legacies of
the Civil War Era talk at the
Mentor Public Library on
December 11 at
12:00p.m. Can’t make it on
December 11? You can find the
recordings of all the Leaders and
Legacies talks on the Mentor Public
Library’s YouTube channel,
“MentorPublicLib.”