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Vote!
Tuesday September 16 is primary day in Massachusetts.
As you get out and vote, remember these words of Calvin Coolidge:“The Right to vote is the very essence of self-government. It is a privilege we are too prone to assume is self-existent, and therefore unimportant. It is the foundation of our liberties”
From “Calvin Coolidge Says” a syndicated newspaper column August 15, 1930
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George Bean auction listing Coolidge estate sale 1936
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Summer 1926
The Summer White House in 1926 was located at White Pine Camp in New York’s Adirondack Mountains.Here Calvin, Grace and dogs enjoy a walk.Today White Pine is still a lakeside retreat and the President’s cabins are available for rent: -
Happy Birthday Calvin!
Happy 4th of July and Happy Birthday to Calvin Coolidge!Fishing was a favorite Birthday activity of Calvin Coolidge!While vacationing in the Black Hills, South Dakota area in 1927, Coolidge spent his 55th Birthday fishing (see photo at right).In his Autobiography, when describing how his family celebrated holidays, Coolidge related that “the Fourth of July meant a great deal to me, because it was my birthday. The first one I can remember was when I was four years old. My father took me fishing in the meadow brook in the morning. I recall that I fell in the water, after which we had a heavy thundershower, so that we both came home very wet. Usually there was a picnic celebration on that day.”The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge. NY: Cosmopolitan Books, 1929. p.28 -
Keep Cool-idge
This sticker and slogan was used during the 1924 Presidential campaign.
This artifact is a great representation for the heat wave sweeping most of the nation this week. Today in Northampton, MA it is 97 degrees with over 50% humidity (feels like 101).
The Forbes Library’s AC is running beautifully so if you don’t have AC at home, it is a great time to come in and cool down while reading some Coolidge materials!
The changes in New England weather are hard for any HVAC system to keep up with and I am happy to report that the Coolidge collections are happily residing at about 68-70 degrees with just under 40% humidity.
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Summer Exhibit in Plymouth Notch
Check out the Summer Exhibit at Plymouth Notch, Vermont!
CCPLM has loaned a Northampton ballot box, 3 badges and 1 ticket from the 1924 convention and some reproduction photographs to this exhibit.Campaign Fever ’24! The 1924 presidential campaign is considered to be the first modern election; it is also one of the most unusual in American history. With little active participation on the part of the President, the Coolidge-Dawes ticket overwhelmed the competition and achieved the largest plurality until that time. This exhibition examines the “Keep Cool-idge” phenomenon and the competition’s efforts to unseat this popular, but enigmatic Yankee politician. May 24 – October 19. Located at the Coolidge Visitor Center Museum, President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, Plymouth Notch, VT. The exhibition features objects from the site’s permanent collection, as well as rare campaign memorabilia and images from private and public collections including the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum.
For more information see https://historicsites.vermont.gov/calvin-coolidge -
Memorial Day Quote
From “Calvin Coolidge Says” May 29, 1931
Decoration Day is our best solemn national holiday which ought to be observed with impressive ceremony. No lapse or diminution should be permitted in the yearly devotion which the people pay to the memory of those who have served in our armed forces.
As the ranks of the Grand Army of the Republic who established Memorial Day fade away, there is danger that its observance will be obscured in other more recent events. The principle involved must not be obscured. The day is sacred to the memory of all the dead who wore our uniform, from the earliest Indian wars to the present hour. In honoring their memory we are not glorifying war. We are a peaceful nation; our efforts led in securing the world treaty renouncing war as a national policy. But we honor their memory that we may glorify citizenship.
They were the antithesis of selfish individualism, merging freedom and even chance of life in the common welfare of country. In danger, choosing the course that really counts, they preserved their rights by discharging their duties. No nation can live which cannot command that kind of service. No people worthy of such service will fair to do it in reverence. -
Photo of the week 5/3/08
Calling all baseball fans!As Governor and President, Calvin Coolidge often threw out the first pitch, however, it was First Lady Grace Coolidge that was the baseball fan in the family.In this photo, Calvin Coolidge is shaking hands with a baseball player. It is labeled “Coolidge and the MVP.” Do you know who this player is and when and where this photo was taken?
