William Howard Taft National Historic Site is in the heart of Cincinnati. It’s also the birthplace of the 27th President of the United States, William Howard Taft.
Overview of William Howard Taft National Historic Site:
It is located at:
2038 Auburn Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45219
The site is generally open from Tuesday to Saturday, with hours typically 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays. It's always best to check the official National Park Service
https://www.nps.gov/wiho/index.htm for updated hours and closures.
Admission is free but donations are accepted.
The site was designated as a National Historic Site in 1969 to preserve the birthplace and childhood home of Taft. William Howard Taft was born in this lovely Greek Revival house in 1857. Growing up in a family that valued hard work, education, and community service, Taft’s early life laid the foundation for his future as a leader. The house itself is a beautiful reminder of the past, and visiting it gives you a chance to step back in time and learn about the man who would eventually serve as both President and Chief Justice of the United States.
The house is believed to have been built in the early 1840s, between 1844 and 1847 by a family named Hopkins. Alphonso bought the house at 60 Auburn Street (now 2038 Auburn Avenue), with its accompanying 1.82 acres, for $10,100 on June 13, 1851.
The William Howard Taft Memorial Association was formed on July 7, 1937, in hopes of buying the property, but went without support of the Taft family, as Robert Taft thought it would look too opportunistic to memorialize the house his father grew up in. It would have cost $12,000 to buy it. In the 1940s the building was used as apartments, with the new owner Elbert R. Bellinger once considering selling it to become a funeral parlor for local blacks. In 1953, and with Charles Phelps Taft II onboard, the William Howard Taft Memorial Association eventually acquired the house for $35,000 (the assessment price), instead of the $75,000 Bellinger was demanding for it.
By 1961, the house was in poor condition and needed restoration, to the tune of $92,500. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964. A ceremony on September 15, 1964 (William's 107th birthday), celebrated the home becoming a National Historic Landmark.
The association gained full title to the house in 1968 and in 1969 transferred it to the National Park Service, which currently operates the site as a historic house museum, so that its future upkeep is ensured. The United States government took the property title on November 1, 1970.
Taft Education Center (TEC):
Visitors to the park can begin their journey here, at the Taft Education Center (TEC). The TEC is the park's only visitor center and serves as the starting point for all tours to the Taft Family Home.
Restrooms are located inside the building along with a water fountain.
Guests can view the park orientation film, William Howard Taft, Public Servant. The film is approximately 15 minutes and covers the life and legacy of Taft and his career as a judge and politician from the local level through the federal ranks.
Visitors to the TEC can browse through the small gift shop for souvenirs and a small assortment of Taft and presidential-related books.
The best way to kick off your visit is by joining a guided tour of the Taft home. The friendly park rangers are full of interesting stories about President Taft's life. Make sure to ask questions—they love to share! Tours usually happen on a set schedule, so check ahead and plan your visit accordingly.
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Letters and diary entries written by Louise Taft during her time in the home helped preservationists to return the domicile to how it appeared during William's childhood.
All park grounds are open 9 am to 4 pm, every day, 365 days per year. Please check the Visitor Center hours of operations for up-to-date hours for the park's buildings.
William Howard Taft:
William Howard Taft was born on September 15, 1857, in Cincinnati, Ohio, into a prominent and politically active family.
His father Alphonso Taft was a well-respected lawyer, judge, and future cabinet member under Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes.
His mother, Louisa Torrey Taft, came from a well-educated family.
Taft was the second of three children. His childhood was one of privilege. His father ensured that young William had access to the best tutors, and the Taft family moved in circles that exposed him to political and social issues from an early age.
Taft's childhood was marked by a love of learning, and he was known for his love of books, particularly those about law, history, and government. He was not, however, especially interested in sports or physical activities, and he was somewhat overweight as a child.
Taft attended Woodward High School in Cincinnati. After graduating from high school, he went to attend Yale University He graduated from Yale in 1878 with a degree in Philosophy. At Yale, Taft was a member of the prestigious Skull and Bones society and was known for his intelligence, leadership, and commitment to his studies.
After Yale, Taft entered law school at the University of Cincinnati, graduating in 1880. He was admitted to the bar that same year, marking the beginning of his legal career.
Taft's future wife, Helen Herron, was born on June 2, 1861, in Cincinnati as the fourth of eleven children, the daughter of Harriet Collins Herron and lawyer John Williamson Herron. Throughout her life, she went by "Nellie".
Helen "Nellie" Herron first met William Howard Taft at a sledding party in 1880, though the Herron family and the Taft family were familiar with one another. They would go on to perform together as part of the community theater company. Taft courted Herron, accompanying her to dances and sending her letters and flowers. Self-doubt caused Herron to avoid commitment to Taft, fearing that he did not truly care for her or value her opinions. Taft proposed to her multiple times,[and she eventually accepted in June 1885.
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They returned to Cincinnati in 1892 when Taft's husband was appointed as a judge on the federal circuit. While her husband served on the bench, Taft raised their three children: Robert, born 1889; Helen, born 1891; and Charles, born 1897.
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Listed Below are Positions William Howard Taft Held During his Career:
- Assistant Solicitor General of the United States in the 1880s.
- U.S. District Judge for the Sixth Circuit (a federal judgeship) from 1887 to 1890.
- Solicitor General of the United States from 1890 to 1892.
- Governor-General of the Philippines from 1901 to 1904, appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt after the U.S. took control of the Philippines in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War.
Taft’s reputation grew through these roles, culminating in his election as the 27th President of the United States in 1908. He served from 1909 to 1913. His presidency focused on breaking up monopolies, progressive reforms, and maintaining an open door in international trade, especially with Latin America and Asia.
After his presidency, Taft's legal career continued, and he became the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1921, a position he held until his death in 1930. Taft remains the only person in U.S. history to have held both the presidency and the chief justiceship.
Hiking Trails and Surrounding Area:
The William Howard Taft National Historic Site itself does not have dedicated hiking trails or significant outdoor trails on the property. However, Cincinnati offers several parks and nature areas nearby where visitors can enjoy outdoor activities:
- Cincinnati Parks System:
- Eden Park: A scenic park near the site that has walking paths, gardens, and lake views. It’s about 1.0 miles from the Taft Historic Site and provides a relaxing atmosphere for visitors. More about Eden Park below.
- Mt. Adams and Over-the-Rhine: Nearby neighborhoods where visitors can explore hills and urban parks with historic walking paths.
- Cincinnati Nature Center (about 15-20 minutes away):
- Distance: The Cincinnati Nature Center offers a variety of hiking trails, ranging from short loops to more challenging hikes, with distances varying from 1 mile to 10 miles.
- Description: This natural area offers a mix of woodland, creek-side, and field habitats, perfect for outdoor enthusiasts.
- Great Parks of Hamilton County:
- Distance: A bit farther from the historic site (15-30 minutes by car), these parks have more substantial trail systems, including some longer and more rugged trails. Popular parks include Glenwood Gardens and Sharon Woods, with trails ranging from easy to moderate difficulty.
Eden Park Trails and History:
Eden Park is one of Cincinnati’s most picturesque urban parks. It is located about a mile from the William Howard Taft National Historic Site.
The park is known for its beautiful landscapes, views of the Ohio River, and historical features. However, it doesn't offer extensive, rugged hiking trails. It does provide a network of easy-to-moderate walking paths.
The park features several shorter walking paths, ranging from .5 to 1 mile each, that wind through wooded areas, gardens, and open lawns. The paths are ideal for a leisurely walk, with views of the city, the Ohio River, and well-maintained landscapes.
Though not entirely within Eden Park, the Ohio River Trail passes near Eden Park and connects to it. This trail system runs for several miles, with sections along the riverfront and nearby green spaces. The segment near Eden Park is about 1 mile in length.
The scenic Cincinnati Overlook is located in the park. It offers sweeping views of downtown Cincinnati, the Ohio River, and Kentucky.
A Brief History of Eden Park
The land that the park occupies today was originally owned by Nicholas Longworth, a prominent Cincinnati landowner who previously used the area as a vineyard and called the estate “the Garden of Eden” in reference to the biblical Garden of Eden. The city of Cincinnati bought the acreage from Longworth in 1869 and retained the name “Eden” for the park.
The city proceeded to build a 12 acre-reservoir on the land in the 1870s. The Eden Park Station No. 7 pumped water from the Ohio River into the reservoir and then into the Eden Park standpipe.
The reservoir was eventually removed in the 1960s and the area was redeveloped into the Mirror Lake reflecting pool that still stands in the park today. Part of the original reservoir dam wall, Eden Park Station No. 7, and the Eden Park standpipe still stand in the park today.
Mt. Auburn Area:
Mount Auburn was once a popular area to live for upper-class Cincinnatians, as it allowed those of higher incomes to escape the sweltering heat and humidity of downtown Cincinnati summers. The Taft residence, a Greek Revival domicile, was relatively modest compared to other nearby residences, which were a mix of Second Empire, Italianate, and Georgian Revival.
As you walk down Auburn Avenue imagine yourself back in the 19th Century. Horse drawn carriages traveling down cobblestone streets, ornate gaslights illuminating the brick paved sidewalks, and stately towered mansions rising atop one of Cincinnati's most fashionable hills. In those early years Auburn Avenue was nicknamed Cincinnati's "Fifth Avenue" – rival of New York's famous thoroughfare, and the street and the surrounding side streets boasted some of the most notable people in the country as its inhabitants.
Mt. Auburn was for a long time almost the only suburb of the city. It was at first called Keys' Hill, after an old settler, and this name was used until 1837. By 1826 a number of prominent citizens had taken up residence there.
Mount Auburn was platted as a town in 1837. It owes its name to the then newly established Mount Auburn Cemetery of Boston. By 1842, it extended from Liberty Street (Liberty Street got its name because the city laws were not enforced north of it and it was the location of the "northern liberties" – gambling, drinking and carousing) to McMillan Street (note that the historic district only goes as far south as Ringold Street, the rest of the Mount Auburn neighborhood to the south is the Prospect Hill Historic District. Mount Auburn was annexed to the City of Cincinnati in 1849.
The William Howard Taft Bathtub Rumor:
Topping the scales at over 350 pounds, William Howard Taft was a true political heavyweight. Although “Big Bill” was the only man to serve as both U.S. president and Supreme Court chief justice, what most remember about Taft is that he supposedly became stuck in the White House bathtub.
There is no documentary evidence backs it up. According to Brady Carlson, author of the book Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation’s Leaders, the story came out two decades after Taft left the presidency. It was included in the White House usher Ike Hoover’s 1934 memoir, 42 Years in the White House.
Just weeks after Taft’s 1908 election, a super-sized bathtub capable of holding the heftiest man ever to occupy the Oval Office. Since no “Taft-size” basin could be found, a Manhattan company crafted the largest solid porcelain tub ever made for an individual. It was more than seven feet long, 41 inches wide and weighed a ton. A photograph in the February 1909 issue of the journal Engineering Review showed the pond-like presidential bathtub with four men sitting comfortably in-side.
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Newspapers reported that similarly spacious tubs were installed in the White House, on Taft’s presidential yacht and inside his brother’s summer home in Texas.
After leaving the White House in 1913, Taft moved into a suite in a New Haven, Connecticut, hotel with an immense bathtub that the Philadelphia Inquirer reported was “deep enough to allow an ordinary sized man to float when it is filled.”
Two years later, the ex-president’s bathing habits again made news when at a Cape May, New Jersey, hotel he “failed properly to consider the size of the average seashore hotel bathtub.” The water displaced by his tremendous girth flooded the floor and trickled onto the heads of guests in the downstairs dining room. As a wistful Taft gazed out at the Atlantic Ocean the next morning, he said, “I’ll get a piece of that fenced in some day, and then when I venture in, there won’t be any overflow.”
Conclusion:
The William Howard Taft National Historic Site is a great place to visit. If you are in the Cincinnati area, it should definitely be on your bucket list. You won't be disappointed.
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