Presidential Pathways: An Introduction

In previous posts I have mentioned some of my sight collecting adventures, which so far have focused on visiting baseball stadiums, but I have not yet delved into sharing my pursuit of presidential sights.  About six years ago, I started making an effort to visit presidential birthplaces, burial places, and libraries.  While searching through the Internet I stumbled upon a great resource, which has been instrumental to my travels: Rachel Kochmann's book, Presidents: Birthplaces, Homes, and Burial Sites.  She coordinated a summer trip with her husband and visited all the locations listed in her book.  She has updated the book numerous times, but I have stuck with the original book I purchased.

Here is my tally of presidential sights:

• Birthplaces = 11
• Burial Sites = 18
• Libraries = 6
• Completed Presidents = 7 (Van Buren, W. H. Harrison, Grant, Taft, Coolidge, F. D. Roosevelt, Nixon)

I have also compiled a map that details the various locations I have visited.  Unlike Kochmann, I do not try and visit all houses associated with presidents unless it is convenient to visiting the three primary sights.  I have visited some presidential homes, but they can be difficult to visit because many are privately owned and there are often multiple locations with presidential ties.

While visiting Southern California recently I visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum and Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum, so I will post photos and a write-up about each site shortly.