In 1876, Congressman James A. Garfield purchased the Dickey Farm on Mentor Avenue in the Village of Mentor, Ohio. Too small to comfortably accommodate the General, his wife, their five children and his mother, Garfield immediately began to add large additions around the original structure.

By the summer of 1880, work on the house was complete, as it turned out, just in time to welcome thousands of visitors to Mentor. In June, James Garfield went to the Republican national convention in Chicago to nominate fellow Ohioan John Sherman for the party's presidential candidate. After 36 ballots, the convention nominated Garfield. The people of Mentor erected an arch at the railroad station to greet him on his return. On one side it read, "Our townsman, James A. Garfield," and on the other side, "James A. Garfield, Ohio's Favorite."

The James A. Garfield National Historic Site is owned by the National Park Service and operated by the Western Reserve Historical Society. To learn more about Mentor's most celebrated resident, visit the National Park Service.