Our First Family's Home: The Ohio Governor's Residence and Heritage Garden [Paperback]

Mary Alice Mairose (Editor), Dianne McElwain (Illustrator), Ian Adams (Photographer), Hope Taft (Foreword), Frances Strickland (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 20, 2008

This richly illustrated volume tells the story of the home that has served as Ohio’s executive residence since 1957, and of the nine governors and their families who have lived in the house. Our First Family’s Home offers the first complete history of the residence and garden that represent Ohio to visiting dignitaries and the citizens of the state alike. Once in a state of decline, the house has been lovingly restored and improved by its residents. Development of the Ohio Heritage Garden has increased the educational potential of the house and has sparked an interest in the preservation of native plant species. Looking toward the future, the Residence is also taking the lead in promoting environmental issues such as solar power and green energy. Photographs by award-winning environmental photographer Ian Adams and artwork by Dianne McElwain showcase the beauty of the home’s architecture and the myriad of native plants that grace the three acres on which the Residence stands. Essays highlight the Jacobethan Revival architecture and the history of the home. The remaining pieces cover the garden and include an intimate tour of the Heritage Garden, which was inspired by Ohio’s diverse landscape. Finally, First Lady Frances Strickland discusses the increasing focus on green energy at the Governor’s Residence and First Lady Emerita Hope Taft explains how native plants can help sustain the environment.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mary Alice Mairose is the residence curator at the Ohio Governor’s Residence. Ian Adams is a nationally renowned photographer based in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, specializing in natural, rural, historical and garden photography. His publications include The Art and Craft of Garden Photography and The Holden Arboretum, with text by Steve Love. Dianne McElwain is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists in New York. Her botanical paintings have won numerous awards and are found in prestigious collections throughout the United States.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Ohio University Press; 1 edition (May 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821417916
• ISBN-13: 978-0821417911
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,635,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice gift for Buckeye State natives, December 17, 2008

By 

Patrick W. Crabtree "The Old Grottomaster" (Lucasville, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Our First Family's Home: The Ohio Governor's Residence and Heritage Garden (Paperback)

The short story is that this is a book about the official residence (Bexley, Ohio) of the Ohio governors' families during these chief executives' respective terms in office. Some lived here for only a brief period, (such as Democrat John Gilligan whose second term was snatched away in an 11th-hour electoral rally for his popular Jackson County opponent, Jim Rhodes), while others managed to grab notably more benefit from this great old mansion (like the venerable Rhodes who was governor of Ohio for a total of 16 years, not contiguously, but he only occupied the residence during his first two terms.)

It's chiefly a picture-book (most color photographs are by Ian Adams, an Ohio eco-photographer), a coffee table book in many ways (except that it was, sadly, published in softcover by the Ohio University Press), which includes mini-biographies of the various governors' families, detailed botanical information in regard to the property's heritage garden punctuated by some nice art illustrations (by Dianna McElwain) of some of the more showy plants which are found there.

I have slightly known four of these governors personally (Jim Rhodes, Dick Celeste, George Voinovich, and Ted Strickland, the latter being the most recent chief executive and a native of my own south-central home county of Scioto), partly stemming from the fact that I was a career state employee (Jack Gilligan actually hired me in 1973 but I never met him), but chiefly because I had taken up journalism as a part-time endeavor.

Dick and Dagmar Celeste in particular enjoyed hosting medium-sized gatherings of 50-75 guests (he and Dagmar divorced subsequent to his governorship), often for minor press minions like myself, so I was at the residence a couple of times. I always noted that certain key Ohio businessmen, such as the famous southeastern Ohio hog farmer and restaurateur, Bob Evans, seemed ever-present on such occasions. A side note, Celeste once got himself into a ridiculous political media-snafu as a consequence of one of these parties when he served delightful-tasting ice cold Coor's beer to his attendees (one of whom was I, and one of the handful of non-whiners), a non-union-made beverage! And I always laughed as Dagmar repeatedly grumbled that some of her guests stole the washcloths and towels from the bathroom, all of which bore the governor's (Ohio) insignia. In the end, the governor's residence is a very impressive property.

One of the book's contributors, Guy Denny, is a former environmental state executive who manifested superb leadership in that role as well as being a hands-on naturalist of the First Water and of considerable renown. He has probably forgotten more about Ohio flora and fauna than most of his peers will ever know. Guy's 12-page contribution (Appendix I) is entitled "Ohio's Botanical Heritage" and is more of a general commentary on Ohio's natural heritage... in other words, "filler." Still, his text and photos are quite informative even if the link to the Governor's Residence is somewhat tenuous. Dianne McElwain also published a section focusing upon the residence's Jacobethian architecture.

There's practically no juicy political scandal discussed in the book (e.g., discussion of the Jim Rhodes Kent State Shootings, Celeste's controversial pardons, or the George Voinovich fiasco of the 1993 Easter Sunday prison siege at Lucasville) -- this work is strictly an upbeat public relations spin, all fluff and joy. But this is much what we would expect to encounter in such a document so I'm not overly-critical of the work on that front.

If you're wondering at this point about my own assessment of these politicos, I can simply assert that I liked Dick Celeste, on a personal level, the best -- he was a really nice guy and he fostered an overt and engaging passion for meeting regular, everyday people. Ted Strickland has clearly shown the least competence for the office (although he's only been in the driver's seat for a short time so he still has an opportunity to turn things around -- we'll have to wait and see), and Bob Taft was by far the most destructive governor ever. Jim Rhodes practically had to be led by the hand during his final days. Fortunately, the power of these executives has been typically curtailed by the state's legislature when they have gotten too far afield with their hare-brained schemes, expected quirks not limited to any one of them. Celeste and Strickland are both Democrats and Taft is a Republican. The late Jim Rhodes was also a Republican. I cannot judiciously pinpoint who our "best" governor was but we've been fairly lucky here in Ohio that none of our governors in recent years has been overtly crooked or corrupt. (I'm a registered Republican but I always vote against all incumbents, regardless of their party affiliation, as a matter of good conscience *.*)

Getting back to the book, it's 132 pages in length, profusely illustrated (mostly in color), and the outer dimensions are 8" x 10". I can recommend this book to political historians, students of architecture, and residents of The Buckeye State.