Greetings, elephants and donkeys alike, and welcome once again to the library of one of our nation's leaders. Today the beans stop off to say hello and pay respects to President #19, Rutherford B. Hayes. Good ol' R.B. (as the beans call him - hey, it beats having to call him "Ruth"...) was born in Delaware, Ohio way back in 1822, and after growing up and attending Harvard Law, he settled into a comfortable life of legal briefs in Lower Sandusky (which is now Fremont).

When the Civil War kicked up its heels, R.B. joined the Union army, where he ended up as major in the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was severely wounded in the Battle of South Mountain in 1862 (war has a way of doing that to people, you know...), but he was a brave soul, and while still in the army, he was elected to Congress.

The beans found this history fascinating, but they're not about to join any active military service unless they get their Congressional appointment in writing beforehand. So there.

Anyway, even though he had been officially elected to Congress, Hayes did not take his seat until the Union had won the war. (See? Right there is the difference between the Ohio Volunteer Infantry and the Texas Air National Guard. 'nuff said.) He was re-elected in 1866, and then became Ohio's governor in 1867. After winning a third term as Gov in 1875, the Republican Party chose Hayes as its presidential candidate.

And like a certain fella we all know, he too won the Presidential election only after the creation of a special commission to decide disputed electoral votes. (And no, his opponent wasn't Al Gore.) Because of the tension surrounding his election, Hayes secretly took the oath of office on March 3, 1877, in the Red room at the White House.

Sniff, sniff - smell that? The beans smell another Presidential conspiracy. While they'd rather not stir any animosity, I think it's only fair to tell you that the beans are headed to Florida to look for 125 year old pregnant chads as we speak...

Anyway, since the beans aren't about to break open any old political schemes, they decided to instead head into the museum and have a look-see at what R.B.'s life was like. The museum itself was founded back in 1912 by R.B.'s son, Colonel Webb Cook Hayes. After four years of construction, the library/museum opened here in Fremont in 1916. Nowadays, the museum packs in over 13,000 artifacts, including 1,785 of them that are on permanent display. Whether or not any of those "artifacts" include canned vegetables is unknown, but you've got to give the beans credit for tryin'.

So let's go inside and have a peek around, shall we? (Because there's nothing that the beans enjoy more than prowling around inside someone's stuff..) And lookie here - it's a room full of Weapons of Semi-Mass Destruction, circa 1875!

While the beans don't personally own any handguns (or cannons, for that matter), they did find it comforting to know that if a game of "Risk" was to suddenly break out in this room, they'd be all set.

But R.B. apparently had his softer side, too, as you can see from this winter model train set display. Now, my eyes aren't that good anymore (while nutritious, beans don't have nearly the Vitamin A of carrots...), so I can't tell you exactly what that fine print on those plaques says about the choo-choos, but we'll go out on a limb and state that President Hayes was a train buff.

So even though we're just winging it for this shot, the beans did get to sneak in for a ride on the freight car of the model train. See? Sometimes there is a benefit of being only 7-inches tall!

Stepping outside for a little daylight and some fresh air, the beans thought it was ironic that they were standing on a sundial - a perfect reminder that time stands still for no man (or can). As the next photo will prove...

Because of course, what would a visit to one of our nation's leaders be without a stop-off at their final resting place? President Hayes passed away on January 17, 1893 at the ripe old age of 70. So here the beans are once again, acknowledging the earthly remains of yet another powerful man. Hey, it's a living, right? (Well, sort of...)

Anyway, the frijoles had a great time at the Hayes museum and library, and they hope you too can stop by one day to see it for yourself. Just don't forget to bring a can of...um...artifacts with you.