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Lawnfield: James A. Garfield Home
Lawnfield
8095 Mentor Ave.
Mentor, Ohio
440-255-8722
The James A. Garfield house was given the name Lawnfield by reporters in 1880. Up until then, the Garfield family called it "The Mentor Farm". During Garfield's election campaign in 1880, he pretty much ran the campaign from his house and a small building behind the house that was equipped with a telegraph.
There were so many reporters covering the campaign at Garfield's house, that there wasn't enough room at local hotels and boarding houses, so they camped out in the side lawn which basically a field, hence the name: Lawnfield.
80% of the furnishings you see at Lawnfield today belonged to the Garfield family in the 1880s. The remaining pieces (especially textiles and rugs), were purchased by the National Park Service to augment the collection. In addition, ten original wallpapers were reproduced during the restoration of the house in the 1990s.
Visiting Hours & Admission
The James A. Garfield National Historic Site is located at 8095 Mentor Ave. in Mentor, Ohio
Tour Hours:
Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., May 1 - October 31.
Please Note! Lawnfield, The James A. Garfield National Historic Site will be open on Memorial Day from 10a.m. to 5p.m. Regular admission applies.
November through April, Lawnfield is closed weekdays and open Saturday and Sunday, 12 - 5 p.m.
School and adult groups are welcome visit by appointment.
Closed Martin Luther King Day, Easter Sunday, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Day.
Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $6 for children 6-12 years of age, and $5 for National Park Service pass holders.
Members of the WRHS and children 5 years and younger are admitted free. On-site parking is free. Call 440-255-8722 for more information.
Admission prices include a film on James Garfield and a guided tour of Lawnfield. The tour is very informative and well worth the price.
Garfield Park
About a block west of Lawnfield is a park called Garfield Park. Garfield Park was originally the summer home property of John Newell, brother of Helen Newell Garfield (the wife of Garfield’s second son, James R.). John Newell’s house sat where the swimming pool is today; his carriage house remains on the property and is used by the City of Mentor. The pond that still exists today was the wintertime spot for ice skating and even had a boathouse.
The property became a recreation park in the late 1950s due to the efforts of Eleanor Borton Garfield, a former Mentor Village mayor. In 1980, it became the first public park in Mentor and was renamed in Eleanor’s honor. She was President Garfield’s granddaughter-in-law—the widow of Rudolph Hills Garfield.
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