HPLM Staff Member Meghan Wonderly Writes Book about the Founding of the Nation's First Presidential Library

When Col. Webb Cook Hayes decided to found America’s first presidential library, he faced myriad challenges that tested his resolve and threatened his health and finances.

He faced delay after delay, and at one point, the construction was so shoddy that parts of the building had to be torn down and rebuilt again. 

Still, he persevered, and on Memorial Day 1916, the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums opened to the public, forever making the papers, books and artifacts of 19th U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes and First Lady Lucy Hayes available to the public for research and learning. 

Meghan Wonderly, HPLM annual giving and membership coordinator, tells the story of Webb Cook Hayes and how he founded HPLM in her recently released book, “A Son’s Dream: Colonel Webb C. Hayes and the Founding of the Nation’s First Presidential Library.” The book is available in the HPLM Museum Store for $14.99. 

Meghan Wonderly

Wonderly has been actively involved at HPLM for many years. A native of Fremont, she visited Spiegel Grove for field trips in elementary school. In high school, she volunteered in the manuscripts division and was an intern in that department during her college years. She also served as a tour guide in the Hayes Home. She has been the annual giving and membership coordinator since January 2015. 

During her undergraduate career, she attended New York University before graduating from Oberlin College with a bachelor’s degree in English. She is working on a master’s degree in history at Bowling Green State University.

The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums is America’s first presidential library and is celebrating its centennial this year. It is located at Spiegel Grove at the corner of Hayes and Buckland avenues in Fremont, Ohio. The facility is affiliated with the Ohio History Connection. 

For information, call 419-332-2081, or visit rbhayes.org. Like HPLM on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hayespresidentialcenterand follow on Twitter at @rbhayespres.