Lucy Webb Hayes

Lucy Webb would become a woman of many firsts throughout her life. She would become the first wife of a president to be called the "First Lady." She would be the first wife of a president to have graduated from college. She would be responsible for bringing the first telephone to the White House, the first typewriter to the White House and she and her husband would initiate the children's "Easter Egg Roll" in the front yard of the White House.

While being First Lady Lucy endured the endless social schedule involved with that title, but what she loved to do was entertain her wide circle of friends in the White House. That circle of friends included several women that would someday have those same responsibilities. Ida McKinley, wife of congressman William McKinley was a frequent guest even substituting for Lucy at some White House functions when Lucy had other commitments. Lucy invited to one of her private socials, Rutherford's former law partner's sixteen year old daughter, Helen Herron who found the get together the "climax of human bliss" and vowed that she would someday return to the house as First Lady (she did as President Howard Taft's wife 30 some years later).

Lucy's strong religious beliefs had always guided her life and she saw no reason to change those beliefs just because she was a temporary resident of the White House. While in Washington D.C., Lucy and Rutherford regularly attended services at the Foundry Methodist Church less than a mile from the White House. Not only did Lucy attend regular Sunday morning services, but she was also actively involved herself in church activities walking to and from the church.

Lucy Webb's childhood home in Chillicothe

Lucy Webb grew up in a Methodist household, graduated from a Methodist college, and she had long embraced the church's strong stance on Temperance. Feeling no compulsion to change her belief system when her husband narrowly won a hard fought presidential election, Lucy banned all alcohol from the White House. Years after Rutherford B. Hayes left office, his wife would sometimes be referred to as "Lemonade Lucy" because of her alcohol ban in the White House-- but never to her face.

Certain previous First Ladies had been sharply criticized for reasons that today would seem unfathomable: hair that is too frizzy, her wardrobe is outrageously scandalous, exposed neckline, bare arms, powdered face. But Lucy's reserved personality did not immediately draw poison from the press' pens. Quite the opposite.

Lucy was the modest woman from Ohio who wore no jewelry, and more often than not, wore only black that matched her black hair that was always parted in the middle and pulled back in a tight bun. Only on special occasions would she adorn her hair with a hair beret as an accent. She was finely accustomed to the elevated requirements of a politicians wife. Her husband had been elected governor twice, and he had served in the US House of Representative. Those requirements were mere nothings compared to what she endured being close to the blood of battle and smell of death as she attended soldiers fighting under her husbands leadership during the War of the Rebellion.

Lucy seemed not to use her position in life as the First Lady to adopt causes even when she believed in those causes. Her position was the result of a marriage and nothing other than support her husband had she done to garner power that could be wielded across the country. That support of her husband could not be so easily dismissed as powerless. Lucy had great influence with her husband if she chose to use it. It had always been that way between them, even after they first met.

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ucy had first met Rutherford Birchard Hayes, who was born in Delaware Ohio, while she attended classes there along with her older brothers. She was just 14 years old the first time she met Rutherford who was 23. By that time Rutherford had already attended a private school in Connecticut that would later become a part of the Wesleyan University. In 1842 he received his degree from Kenyon College and then went to Harvard College to become a lawyer and graduated in 1845. It was probably after his graduation when he returned briefly to Delaware to see his family that he encountered the young Lucy. While in Delaware, Lucy's mother became friends with Hayes' mother and the two women most certainly discussed ways of getting their two children together.

Although Rutherford would begin practicing law in Lower Sandusky (now known as Fremont) it was a small town with really not enough legal work to suit his drive. In 1847 he had some health issues and decided to take a trip to Texas where he spent some time before returning to Ohio and in 1848 he relocated to Cincinnati to open a new law practice there. Here he became involved with the Abolitionist movement and became reacquainted with the much older Lucy, now 18 and a college graduate of Wesleyan Woman's College in Cincinnati.

Rutherford began mentioning her in his diary: "Her low sweet voice is very winning ... a heart as true as steel.... Intellect she has too.... By George! I am in love with her!"

In less than two years of her graduating from college, Lucy and Rutherford B. Hayes were married and together they would fight many political battles and wars, but they would never lose sight of their profound love for each other. They would spend their remaining days at their home in Fremont. On June 25, 1889 while Rutherford was attending a meeting in Columbus, Lucy had a stroke and died in the early morning hours. Three and half years later, Rutherford died of a heart attack at his home in Fremont.

Rutherford's and Lucy Hayes grave site is located on the grounds of their estate in Fremont. The estate was named Spiegel Grove. When they died they were originally buried in nearby Oakwood Cemetery, but when the estate was transferred to the state of Ohio and became Spiegel Grove State Park in 1915, their bodies were reinterred here.

Spiegel Grove

Sardis Birchard was born in 1801 in Vermont. Both of his parent died when he was only 12 and so he moved in with his sister Sophia Hayes and her husband. A few years later, the Hayes family consisting of Rurtherford, Sophia, Fanny and Birchard moved from Vermont to Delaware, Ohio. Five years later, Sophia was pregnant when her husband Rutherford died before his son was born. After the birth, Sophia name her son Rutherford Birchard Hayes in honor of her husband and her brother. Birchard took responsibility for the Hayes family, insuring that young Rutherford got a proper education.

Sardis was just 23 years old when he first came through the Lower Sandusky (town was renamed Fremont) while delivering hogs to communities along the Sandusky River. Several years later he moved the Hayes family from Delaware to land he had purchased there. Over the years Birchard purchased numerous plots of land throughout northwest Ohio. This land proved to become very valuable. One of those plots of land was a 25 acre wooded lot located on the edge of town that he had admired. One of the things that attracted him were the pools of water that formed on the floor of the woods after a rainfall. They reminded him of mirrors reflecting light filtering down through the trees. As a child his mother had read him German fairy tales. One of those tales referred to mirrors (the German word for mirrors is "spiegel") and so Sardis decided to call this enchanted land Spiegel Grove. He selected the land as a home for his nephew Rutherford and his family. Birchard began building the brick house in 1859, but with the Civil War and political obligations, Rutherford and his wife Lucy were not able to move into the property until 1873.