4. Carriage House

The carriage house was built in 1893 under the watchful eye of Lucretia Garfield, the president’s widow. It was designed by J.A. Reough & Son of Cleveland and cost $2,564. The “L” shape of the carriage house was unique for that time period, reflecting Mrs. Garfield’s sense of style even in utilitarian buildings. Inside the building, the space served two functions: to house the carriages and provide stalls for the horses. The brick flooring inside is original. In the 1990s, the horse stalls were converted to exhibit spaces, but a feed box and stall doors are still visible. 

The carriage house began the transformation of the farm into a country estate. Lucretia Garfield continued this transformation with the removal of barns from near the house to what is now the northern edge of the current property. One story associated with the carriage house is about one of Garfield’s horses, named Mollie. One day Mollie was in her stall. She kicked the stall so hard that the indentation of her hoof can still be seen.