The OES visited the Harding Memorial Tomb on July 24, 2004. Located in Marion, the Harding Memorial is the final resting place of President Warren G. Harding and his wife, Florence. President Harding was born in 1865 in Blooming Grove, Ohio. In 1884, Harding became the owner and editor of the Marion Daily Star. He married Florence Kling DeWolfe in 1891 and moved to their home in Marion. Before being elected the 29th President of the United States in 1921, President Harding had served as an Ohio Senator, Lieutenant Governor, and United States Senator. On August 2, 1923, President Harding died from a heart attack while still in office. Florence died just over a year later, on November 21, 1924.
After Harding’s death in 1923, the Harding Memorial Association was organized to build and maintain the Harding tomb and to preserve the Harding home in Marion. More than 200,000 schoolchildren contributed pennies to the association, raising a total of $977,821. The monument was designed as a circular wall of white marble columns with a raised courtyard and hanging garden. To shade the tombs of the President and his wife, a Japanese maple tree was planted near their tombstones. The memorial was dedicated in 1931 by President Hoover at a total cost of $783,108. The memorial was renovated in 1990 with federal and state grants.
Location Information: Public Park
The Harding Memorial is located at the corner of State Route 423 and Vernon Heights Boulevard in Marion; Marion County.
Photographs
