Anniversary and America250 context
City officials have folded the Garfield commemoration into “Mentor Celebrates America,” a slate of events tied to the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding. The initiative aligns with America 250-Ohio, the statewide effort encouraging communities to highlight their own connections to the broader American story through 2026.
Garfield’s farm purchase
In 1876, then-Congressman Garfield bought the Dickey farm in Mentor, acquiring roughly 120 acres for about 17,500 dollars as he looked for a permanent home within his northeastern Ohio district. He moved his family to the property later that year and began expanding the modest farmhouse and surrounding land, laying the groundwork for the estate that would later draw national attention.
From farm to “Lawnfield”
Within four years, the Mentor farm evolved into “Lawnfield,” the stage for Garfield’s innovative “front porch campaign” during the 1880 presidential race. An estimated 17,000 visitors made their way to the once-sleepy village to hear the Republican candidate speak from his property, cementing the site’s place in political history and in Mentor’s civic identity.
New bronze sculpture
To mark the 150-year milestone, the city has commissioned a new bronze sculpture of the 20th president for installation on the Mentor Civic Center grounds. The slightly-larger-than-life statue will be created by Ohio sculptor Alan Cottrill, whose Coopermill Bronzeworks studio in Zanesville has produced more than 400 large-scale statues, including depictions of 19 U.S. presidents and a figure of Thomas Edison in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.
The piece is scheduled for dedication on the evening of Friday, July 3, 2026, as part of Mentor’s America250 observances. City leaders say the project, supported by municipal funds, private foundations and federal grants, is designed to offer a permanent, public reminder of Garfield’s ties to Mentor and the city’s role in the larger narrative of American democracy.
