For more information, contact: Julie Bartlett Nelson, coolidge@forbeslibrary.org or 413-587-1014.
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As the centennial of the presidency of Calvin Coolidge is being marked, the library and museum which bears the name of the 30th U.S. president has launched the first public fundraising campaign in its history. The campaign comes as plans are underway to upgrade the exhibits and modernize the museum space for the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum at the Forbes Library in Northampton.
The museum, which receives no federal or state funds and has never charged an admission fee, has remained basically unchanged since it opened in 1956. It is the only presidential museum situated within a public library and operates with a budget that comes from a small endowment, minimal city funds and voluntary contributions.
“This centennial of Calvin Coolidge’s presidency seems an appropriate time to launch this public fundraising effort,” said J.R. Greene, chair of the museum’s standing committee. “We are pursuing plans to revamp the museum to make it a place that attracts new generations to learn and understand Coolidge’s story and his legacy to our nation.”
The plans to revamp the museum are to begin later this summer with a request for design proposals. Preliminary estimates are that this phase will cost about $30,000. The revitalization effort, added Greene, “will greatly strengthen the museum’s mission to give our visitors a well-balanced historical account of Coolidge’s political and family life.”
The Coolidge library and museum preserves and makes available for research materials that document the public and private life of the man who also served as mayor of Northampton and governor of Massachusetts. It was in Northampton that Coolidge began his political career and where he returned to live after the White House. The collection also includes materials related to first lady Grace Goodhue Coolidge and their sons, John and Calvin Jr.
The museum dates to 1920 when, as governor and vice president-elect, Calvin Coolidge began giving documents and memorabilia to Forbes Library. He continued to add other materials during his presidency and upon leaving the White House until his death in 1933.The library, upon the request of Grace Coolidge, formally established the “Calvin Coolidge Memorial Room” as a separate entity.
The Coolidge collection includes the memorabilia from Coolidge’s law office in Northampton, his personal papers, the Howard Chandler Christy portraits of the president and first lady and the famous electric exercise horse that he used in the White House when the Secret Service advised against horseback riding.
The museum’s meeting space is also regularly used by a variety of public groups throughout the year, and they, too, will benefit from a more modern, up-to-date facility.
Visit the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum’s website to learn more about the museum and to make a gift.