Visiting the Presidents

"She won't think anything about it," Abraham Lincoln's last words. Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was our first assassinated President, and his funeral and burial both had their own adventures (and misadventures)! Learn about Lincoln's final weeks, his murder, burial, and legacy! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links,...

BONUS episode featuring my summer of presidential travels as I fit in as many birthplaces, gravesites, homes, and other sites into one history professor's summer break. The third and final leg: join me as I visit Virginia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas! Check out "How I Spent My Summer of Presidential Travels, 2024, Part 1" ! Check out "How I Spent My Summer...

BONUS episode featuring my summer of presidential travels as I fit in as many birthplaces, gravesites, homes, and other sites into one history professor's summer break. The second of three trips: join me as I visit upstate New York, the Hamptons, Manhattan, Washington DC, and more! Check out "How I Spent My Summer of Presidential Travels, 2024, Part 1" ! Links to Previous Episodes M...

BONUS episode featuring my summer of presidential travels as I fit in as many birthplaces, gravesites, homes, and other sites into one history professor's summer break.  The first of three trips, join me as I visit Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio! Links to Previous Episodes Mentioned: Birthplaces "Rutherford Hayes and Delaware (OH)" "Warren Harding and B...

"Oh, Lord God Almighty, as thou wilt!" The final words of James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States, and today regarded as one of the worst. Learn about the end to Buchanan's Presidency, his lonely years after, his death, burial, and other commemorations! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, recommended reading, and othe...

Enigmatic to the end, our 14th President, Franklin Pierce, passed away without family present and no last words recorded. Learn about the end of Pierce's Presidency, his tragic post-Presidency, his death, burial, commemorations, and more! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, recommended reading, and other information! Episode Page: https://...

"The nourishment is palatable," the last words of our oft-forgotten 13th President, Millard Fillmore. Learn about the end of Fillmore's Presidency, his active post-Presidency, including his run at the office again, his death, burial, commemorations, and more! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, recommended reading, and other info...

"I have tried to discharge my duties faithfully. I regret nothing, but I am sorry that I am about to leave my friends.” The 12th President of the United States, Zachary Taylor was also our second to die in office; like his predecessor, his body will be moved three different times, and even exhumed! Learn about his brief Presidency; his illness and death; his funeral, burial, and commemoration...

"I love you, Sarah, for all eternity, I love you.” So died James Polk, 11th President of the United States, our shortest post-Presidency, and the youngest to die, at the time! Learn about his brief post-Presidency; his illness and death; his funeral, burial, and commemorations, plus his multiple moves! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, r...

"Doctor, I am going. Perhaps it is best.” Our First President to die in a foreign country, John Tyler, 10th President of the United States! Learn about his tumultuous post-Presidency; his illness and death; his funeral, burial, and commemorations, plus his controversial gravesite! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, recommended reading, an...

BONUS episode featuring my Christmas break with Presidential travels as I fit in as many birthplaces, gravesites, homes, and other sites into my Visits home between Arizona and Ohio (and New Orleans?). Join me as I Visit Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Louisiana! Sites Visited Include: Abraham Lincoln and Sinking Spring William Henry Harrison and Grouseland Abraham Lincoln and Springfield W...

"I wish you to understand the true principles of government; I wish them carried out, I ask nothing more.” Our First Presidential Death: William Henry Harrison exited the world just one month after taking office as the 9th President of the United States, a shocking and tragic end to a long life. Learn about Harrison's brief Presidency; his illness and death; his funeral, burial, and comm...

"There is but one reliance." Martin Van Buren, our 8th President was a career politician, living and breathing politics to the very end.  Hear about the end of his Presidency, his life after the office, his death, burial, and commemorations! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, recommended reading, and other information! Episode Page:...

"Do not cry; be good children and we shall meet in heaven." Andrew Jackson, our 7th President, lived hard, and died harder, a man who rarely took an easy breath throughout his long life.  Hear about his Presidency, his life after the office, his death, burial, and commemorations! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, recommended reading...

"This is the last of Earth but I am composed!" Fewer Presidents have had a more difficult Presidency, and given more in their post-Presidency than John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States. Hear about his Presidency, his remarkable life after the office, his death, burial, and commemorations! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past ep...

Another Fourth, another President's death! Hear about the strange afterlife of James Monroe, our first President to die away from his home, and one of the first to be transferred from one state to another! Learn about James Monroe's brief post-Presidency, death, and commemorations! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, recommended readi...

James Madison, the last of the Founding Presidents to pass, but one supremely focused on his historical legacy. Journey back to Montpelier to check out the simple cemetery with a large obelisk, and what this means for the memory of the Fourth President!  Learn about James Madison's long post-presidency, his death, and the ways he is commemorated! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents...

"Thomas Jefferson surives!"--famous last words. While not true in a corporeal sense, Jefferson's legacy is with us and debated here. Journey back to Monticello to check out the simple cemetery with a large obelisk, and an outsized contribution to our country!  Learn about Thomas Jefferson, Third President, and his long post-presidency, his death, and the ways he is commemorated! Che...

"Querulous, bald, blind, crippled, toothless" John Adams! And those are the compliments! We are back in Quincy and checking out the church that holds TWO presidents' graves, as well as their spouses!  Learn about John Adams' long post-presidency, his death, and the way he is commemorated! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes,...

"First in War, First in Peace, First...President in a Grave?!" We are back and checking out George Washington's precedence-setting end of term, post-Presidency, death, and gravesite! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, recommended reading, and other information! Episode Page: https://visitingthepresidents.com/2024/01/30/season-3-...

We are coming back for Season 3 of "Visiting the Presidents," focused on Visiting the Presidents' gravesites! Hear what you can expect from each new episode as well as some things to keep in mind as we explore the end of Presidents' administrations, their transitions, their post-Presidency, deaths, and commemorations! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visua...

BONUS episode featuring my summer of presidential travels as I fit in as many birthplaces, gravesites, homes, and other sites into one history professor's summer break.  The second of three trips, join me as I visit New York State and City, Washington, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, St. Louis, and Arizona! Check out " How I Spent My Summer of Presidential Travels, 2023, Part 1 "! Check o...

BONUS episode featuring my summer of presidential travels as I fit in as many birthplaces, gravesites, homes, and other sites into one history professor's summer break.  The second of three trips, join me as I visit Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and DC! Check out " How I Spent My Summer of Presidential Travels, 2023, Part 1 "! Links to Previous Episodes Mentioned: Birt...

BONUS Episode featuring Presidential hauntings and ghost stories from the White House, as well as a short history of how Americans fell in love with hauntings! Check out the website at VisitingthePresidents.com for visual aids, links, past episodes, recommended reading, and other information!  Support the show Also, check out “Visiting the Presidents” on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter ! 

BONUS episode featuring my summer of presidential travels as I fit in as many birthplaces, gravesites, homes, and other sites into one history professor's summer break.  The first of three trips, join me as I visit Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Mississippi! Links to Previous Episodes Mentioned: Birthplaces "Andrew Johnson and Raleigh" "George W Bush and New Haven" Homes...