“Freedom to tell a different story”: Coolidge Presidential Library to provide more context

The Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum in Northampton, Massachusetts, is planning major changes to add context to exhibits about the 30th president.

The Forbes Library in the city where the Coolidge Museum is located announced this last weekend as part of a fundraiser.

The museum is not part of the Presidential Library System operated by the National Archives and receives no federal or state funding.

This independence has an advantage, said Forbes director Lisa Downing.

“Frankly, there are a lot of questions, you know, should museums put these presidents on pedestals and highlight the positive and wonderful aspects of their … careers?” Downing said in an interview Monday. “We have a lot more freedom to tell a different story.”

Downing said the Coolidge Library has no obligation to tell anything but the truth when it comes to mixed feelings about the former president's past.

“While we are very proud to have him here and to be able to call Northampton his hometown, there are certainly parts of his past that I think need to be brought to light,” she said. “I have to make it clear that we are not doing that now. At the moment it is a very traditional presentation.”

Downing said one example is Coolidge's involvement in Native American issues. The museum displays indigenous objects given to Coolidge as a thank you for signing the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924. But a more comprehensive exhibit, she said, would explain the nuances of the law and the motives of some lawmakers – including assimilation.

“We want to take those stories and give them more context so that the visitor experience is interesting, entertaining and hopefully educational,” she said. “We want this to be a place where people come to just because they're a little bit curious and then engage with it. So that's going to take some work.”

The museum is trying to raise private funds to “overhaul” its exhibits. Downing estimated that the first phase of the library's plan will cost about $30,000.

The museum on the second floor of the Forbes Library currently houses Coolidge's personal papers and other memorabilia – such as the electric horse he installed in the White House.

“Coolidge missed riding and was very keen on physical fitness,” she said. “It's a rather strange looking contraption and unfortunately it doesn't work. But you can imagine him riding this horse in the White House.”

Admission to the museum is free and open to the public Monday to Saturday.

“It’s worth a visit, even in its current condition,” Downing said.