EDITOR'S NOTE
Historical anniversaries have a way of
reviving interest in events and
personalities-long forgotten or
neglected. Now that centennial observances
of the Civil War have run their course,
our national memory is turning to-
ward the last third of nineteenth
century American history. Already a major
reconsideration of these years is
underway.
A basic source for the study of the
period 1865 to 1900 is one of Ohio's
finest historical properties, The
Rutherford B. Hayes Library and Museum,
located in Spiegel Grove, Fremont, Ohio.
Opened in 1916 it is the nation's
oldest presidential library, but unlike
other institutions of its type which
are federally controlled and
administered, the Hayes Library is jointly op-
erated by the Hayes Foundation and The
Ohio Historical Society for the
State of Ohio.
This special issue of Ohio History commemorates
the dedication on
October 4, 1968, of a handsome new
building designed to better interpret
the life and times of President
Rutherford B. Hayes to the general public.
Another reason for greatly expanding and
modernizing the facilities of the
Hayes Library and Museum is to launch a
new research and publishing pro-
gram on the Hayes era. The articles of
this issue represent only a small
part of the many research projects
undertaken in recent years utilizing the
rich resources on deposit in Fremont.*
The ten essays treat a variety of topics
centering around the life of Hayes
and are arranged roughly in
chronological order. Each one deals with a
relatively neglected theme or offers a
fresh interpretation. Together they
range from the struggle of the young
Hayes to establish himself as an Ohio
lawyer to the final twelve years after
the White House when he devoted his
* See Watt P. Marchman and James H.
Rodabaugh, "Collections of the
Rutherford B. Hayes State
Memorial," Ohio History, LXXI (July 1962),
151-157.