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Wheatland, the Home of President James Buchanan – Pic of the Week

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Our picture of the week is Wheatland, the home of President James Buchanan. President Buchanan is not rated highly by historians due to his inability to prevent the Southern states from seceding from the Union, but he came to the office with impressive credentials, having served as a lawyer, Secretary of State, Minister to the United Kingdom and Russia, United States Senator, member of the United States House of Representatives, and member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from Lancaster County. But as the introductory film in Wheatland’s visitor’s center concluded, Buchanan had a much more limited view of the powers of the presidency than Americans have today. As such, he believed there was little he could do to prevent the Southern states from seceding. Buchanan resolved to maintain and reinforce federal forts in Southern states and wait for the Confederate states to make a move against them. That action took place with the firing on Fort Sumter after Abraham Lincoln had taken office. As Buchanan rode in a carriage with Abraham Lincoln to Lincoln’s inauguration, Buchanan is said to have remarked, “My dear sir, if you are as happy in entering the White House as I shall feel on returning to Wheatland, you are a happy man indeed.”

Wheatland, the home of President James Buchanan, is a three-story red brick house set in a grassy knoll among tall trees.
Wheatland, the home of President James Buchanan. Photo by Robert Brammer.

The tour guide pointed out several interesting artifacts that were owned by Buchanan, including some of his legal texts, a bottle of wine from his personal collection, a teak desk from India that he used in his office in the White House, and even the bed that he died in. When asked about Buchanan’s legacy, the tour guide acknowledged that while he may not be considered a great president, Buchanan’s influence can be felt elsewhere, in that he raised his niece, Harriet Lane, to become an independent, educated woman, and part of his legacy can be felt through her work to promote the availability of pediatric medicine and the arts.

An ornate, dark wood desk sits on a floral rug in front of a marble fireplace and next to a grand piano.
The desk that President Buchanan used in the White House. Photo by Robert Brammer.
A stack of papers sits on a wooden desk next to two decanters, two glasses half filled with a light brown liquid, two stacks of old books, and an ornate desk lamp with hanging crystals.
President Buchanan’s legal texts. Photo by Robert Brammer.
A four-post, dark wooden bed made up with a brown throw and two white pillows sits next to a wood, four-drawer bureau.
President Buchanan’s deathbed. Photo by Robert Brammer.

Comments

  1. Mr. Buchanan and I share the same last name and I remembered from the book report I made as a child about him never marrying; however, I couldn’t remember which number President he held. Thankfully, you helped me remember he was our 15th President. Right after his term as our US President, the next President was Mr. President Lincoln.

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