I would like to welcome everyone to William Howard Taft National Historic Site on behalf of the National Park service. The significance of the house is that this is the birth and boyhood home of our 27th president and 10th chief justice William Howard taft. The house was built around 1840. Thats the time that we like to use here. Tafts parents were fawnville and louise taft. They originally came from the new england states. Well, alfonzo taft, when he first left townsend, vermont, which was his hometown area, he comes here to cincinnati, ohio, in 1838, and he actually begins to work with a law firm, nathaniel wright, becoming a lawyer here in cincinnati. This is where he first started to make money. The tafts were prominent individuals who would later leave downtown cincinnati and move up to the top of the hill here in mt. Auburn. Mt. Auburn was once referred to as cincinnatis fifth avenue. The prince of wales when he came to visit the city, he actually would stay in a home up here in the mt. Auburn community. This is where the welltodo first got established leaving the downtown cincinnati area, trying to get away from all the pollution, the slaughterhouses, thus getting the name porkopolis to our Downtown Business area, trying to move to the clean, healthier air. William was born here in the house september 15th, 1857. He would be the second child to be born from alfonzo and louise taft out of five. The taft children were like most families today. They grew up in a loving home. Hardworking. Education was very important here in the taft household. Whenever they were done with their homework, that was when they were granted the opportunity to go out and play with their friends. As a reward. The tafts actually lived very simple lives. They didnt dress lavishly. They would attend a lot of social functions. They also participated, alfonzo taft would create the house of refuge in 1851 for young troubled children with his first wife, fanny. This was to try to help young teenaged children get back on the right track in society. Louise taft, his second wife, shes one of the ladies credited for creating the free Kindergarten Movement for cincinnati. Thats in the 1870s. And that stemmed from where she taught her son, William Howard taft, as much as she could here at home and then she said it was time for him to now be in the Public School system. William taft, he saw his family during the time that hes growing up, and he saw that his father was a very hardworking man, to accomplish everything that he wanted to accomplish in life. As well as his mother being very influential in education. As i said, family life was instrumental not only to william but to his siblings, and that would follow William Howard taft throughout his career. And he also tried to follow in the footsteps of his father, alfonzo taft, becoming a lawyer locally here in natty, and also serving as secretary of war under president Theodore Roosevelts administration. Becoming governor and governor general of the philippines. Serving as the 27th president of the United States in 1909 to 1913. Getting out of the political arena for a little bit and becomes a professor at yale university. Then in 1921, thats when he would get appointed to serve as the tenth chief justice of the United States. Were now in the nursery room. This is the room where William Howard taft was born, september 15th, 1857. He would be the second sibling of five from alfonzo and louise taft. Here in this room, the taft children, they would spend a lot of time growing up here in this space. We know that william had to share this space with several of his siblings. Two younger brothers, henry and horace taft, they would also be here in this room. Once william is old enough to move over to a larger bed, so you can imagine a little crib here in the room where his younger brother horace would be fighting to try to get out, to try to get closer to his older brothers, willy and henry. Underneath the main bed would have been a trundle bed. This is where once upon a time a german nanny would have slept. Shes the one who would have cared and watched over the children for alfonzo and louise taft. Were now inside of the parlor. Here in the parlor, this is where i point out some of the taft family members that have been influential in William Howard tafts life. First, i would like to point out in the oval portrait here, alfonzo taft. This is williams father. Originally born in small townson, vermont, in 1810 on a farm. Grew up, attended yale university. In the year 1838, thats when he would tell his mom and dad its time for him to pack up his bags and head out west, so to speak, calling cincinnati home. Where he would become a lawyer and later a judge on the ohio superior court. Then he advanced on and became secretary of war under president ulysses s. Grants administration for a brief time in 1876. His last appointed position he would take up was minister and ambassador over russia and austria hungary in the early 1880s. Then as i move to this portrait here of the taft family members, this is louise taft, the second wife to alfonzo. Louise was a very beautiful lady. She was originally born in boston, massachusetts. At the age of 3, she would later relocate to millbury, massachusetts, her and her family to the Black Stone River valley area, but she grew up and becama school teacher. On the back wall, we have grandma sylvia howard. Grandma taft, originally her ancestors were of irish and scottish descent. While she was living here, she would provide her expertise to louise, the daughterinlaw, on how to bake breads and make minced pies just right. Sounds like grandma taft doesnt want to let go of whos in charge of calling the shots in the taft home. She later was married to this gentleman here, this is none other than grandpa peter taft i. Even he was a selftaught judge. When they once lived in townsend, vermont. The parlor room is a room where the tafts would kind of gather wherever they had important guests coming over to visit the taft home. Basically, there was a general jacob cox, friend of alfonzo taft and the taft family. He once was invited to come and have dinner here at the family home. He actually would send a letter to alfonzo asking if he could bring a young brigadier along with him. His name was james a. Garfield. So imagine that. Another ohio president coming here to visit the mt. Auburn home in cincinnati. We have now moved into the library. Here in the library, this is where the taft family would kind of gather and have quiet evenings. Spend a lot of family time here in this particular space. This is where i try to imagine seeing grandma and grandpa taft sitting here on an old horsehair sofa couch, possibly reading the Cincinnati Daily inqueirer newspaper like you would find on the table dated friday, september 15th, 1865. Some things that happened in the events of history. The civil war has already ended about four months prior to september. Also, the same year in which president Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at fords theater by john wilkes booth. People here in cincinnati were devastated to hear this tragic news about their american president. What we have original here inside of the library just to my right, we have the secretary desk. This belongs to alfonzo taft, williams father. This was a desk that he probably worked at while he was an attorney. Possibly downtown in cincinnati. That we have been fortunate enough to kwet acquired back here in the taft home. Also, we have a slate mantel fireplace thats also original. What the National Park service has done here is we have put this marble faux finish back on it as it originally had when the tafts had it installed here in their house. Over in the righthand corner of the wall, youll notice an oval portrait here of none other than chief William Howard taft at the age of 3. With the curls, plump cheeks, and in a dress. This was very typical back in the Victorian Era days, since children had to wear cloth diapers. It was more of a convenience for the parents to put little boys in a dress whenever they needed to go to the bathroom, all mom had to do was raise up the dress, pop the two safety pins and then the boys could go to the restroom. Over in the bookcase, i always point out the shakespeares dramatic works. These are original books. They belonged to the taft family in which they would take time to read and discuss in here. Also, down in the lower bookcase level, theres two small books that you see, black books, that represent the skull and bones. Alfonzo taft, hes one of the cofounders of this elite society at yale university. The books over here in the righthand corner, these are books that William Howard taft and his younger brothers would have used while attending woodward high school, such as the anatomy and physiologist book here. We know that the books are original books to the family. Alfaunlzo taft, he would have had many more books that would have covered all the wall space in the home. However, most of those books he donated to the Mercantile Library downtown in cincinnati. This is americas house. It belongs to everyone. Just learning the history about the tafts and they cover every political post that you can imagine. Over five generations of tafts have served in Public Service work to try to help not only the local communities here in the city of cincinnati, the state of ohio, but also internationally as well. I hope that vezteres will come here to visit William Howard Taft National Historic Site and get a better perspective of the taft family and their upbringing through family values, education, and Public Service life and possibly reflect on how things might be in their very own home today to where they might have a child who comes here and they can look at that child and say, you know, you could be the next president or the next chief justice to serve for our country. 100 years ago today, president Woodrow Wilson signed legislation created the National Park service. In recognition of the cente centennial, were featuring National Park Service Sites throughout the country as recorded by American History tv and the cspan cities tour staff. This is American History tv only on cspan3. Today, we are in the boyhood home of president Woodrow Wilson in augusta, georgia. President wilson moved to augusta as a child when he was just a year old. Lived in another house, and then moved to this house when he was 3. Dr. Wilson, the father of president wilson, was originally from