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This engaging collection of essays explores the lives and legacies of six Ohio-born First Ladies: Lucy Webb Hayes, Lucretia Rudolph Garfield, Caroline Scott Harrison, Ida Saxton McKinley, Helen Herron Taft, and Florence Kling Harding. With contributions by leading scholars, the volume moves beyond traditional biography to examine how each woman’s Ohio roots shaped her public role and influenced her husband’s political career at both state and national levels. Connecting Ohio history to the broader narrative of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century US history, these essays draw on rich primary and secondary sources to illuminate the intersection of regional identity and national politics. Accessible and insightful, Ohio’s First Ladies invites readers of all backgrounds—from high school students to lifelong learners—to discover how the Midwest helped mold women who would leave their mark on the White House. Contributors Benjamin T. Arrington Jennifer Capps Annette B. Dunlap Kara M. French Michelle Gullion Katherine Jellison Katherine A. S. Sibley

The river, like a keen memory, carries a record of the past.” David Faldet has spent forty years in the basin of the Upper Iowa River, which winds from the flat farm fields of southern Minnesota through the wooded valleys of northeast Iowa to the Mississippi. In this peaceful and inspiring book, Faldet tells the story of the Upper Iowa as it flows through land and people, holding true to Aldo Leopold’s conception of land as a community in which water, people, and soil play interactive parts.

Whether profiling the chief of the last hunter-gatherers on the river, an early settler witnessing her first prairie fire and a modern wildlife biologist using fire to manage prairies, the manager of the Granger Farmer’s Co-op Creamery, or a landowner whose bottomlands are continually eaten away by floods, Faldet steadily develops the central idea that people are walking tributaries of the river basin in which they make their homes.

Faldet moves through the history of life along the now-polluted Upper Iowa, always focusing on the ways people depend on the river, the environment, and the resources of the region. He blends contemporary conversations, readings from the historical record, environmental research, and personal experience to show us that the health of the river is best guaranteed by maintaining the biological communities that nurture it. In return, taking care of the Upper Iowa is the best way to take care of our future.

This richly illustrated volume tells the story of thehome 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 itsresidents. 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 powerand green energy.

Photographs by award-winning environmental photographer Ian Adams and botanical art 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. 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.

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, former Governor Ted Strickland and First Lady Frances Strickland discuss 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.