by William Henry Harrison was the 9th President of the United States, and we had previously visited his birthplace, Berkeley Plantation in Virginia, but now was our chance to see his later Indiana home, Grouseland.
Harrison’s father, Benjamin Harrison V, was a founding father and signer of the Declaration of Independence, so William was set on political pathway early in his life. He was named Secretary of the Northwest Territory in 1798 at just 26 years of age, which lead him to settle at the edge of the American frontier in Indiana!
From 1802 to 1804, a home was built for the Harrison family on 300 acres in Vincennes, Indiana. The Federal-style home was called “Grouseland” due to the abundance of grouse in the area.
Harrison would serve as Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Northwest Territory’s at-large district from 1799 to 1800, and then John Adams appointed him as the first Governor of the Indiana Territory where he served from 1801 to 1812. Harrison would distinguish himself in the military, leading a military force against Tecumseh’s confederacy at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. (This is where he earned the nickname “Old Tippecanoe” which was later part of his famous Presidential campaign slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too.”)
Harrison would later serve in the Ohio state legislature and as a Representative and Senator from Ohio, and Ambassador to Colombia. In 1841, he was elected President with John Tyler as his running mate. Harrison’s presidency wasn’t especially impressive, as he was only in office for 31 days before he died after catching a cold after giving the longest inauguration speech ever given by a President.
Harrison’s grandson Benjamin Harrison would later be elected our 23rd President. Benjamin was seven years old when William was elected but did not attend the inauguration.
The family lived at Grouseland until 1812, while Harrison was serving as Indiana’s first governor. Various families lived in the home over the years, but by the early 20th century it had to be rescued from demolition. The Daughters of the American Revolution stepped in and restored the home to as it appeared when the Harrisons lived there. It’s been open as a museum since 1911!
The home is sparsely furnished and the decorating is “of a time” that is definitely not to our taste! Throughout the house, they have autographs of every US. President up to #45, and plenty of other historical artifacts. But we got another Presidential site knocked off Doug’s list, which made the day a most excellent one for at least one of us!
