INDIANAPOLIS — Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States, but he is still the only one who called Indiana home. Harrison's term is relevant again for history buffs because a rare document of his just went on sale.
Raab Collections is selling a manuscript of Harrison's inaugural address, which it claims is the reading copy that Harrison used to address the nation on March 4, 1889. The historical document can be yours for $225,000.
Nathan Raab said the price is warranted because presidential inaugural address speeches are never on the market.
"To our knowledge, it's the only inaugural address in private hands, not in an institution," Raab said. "The modern ones are delivered over technology through electronic readers, which means there is no reading copy."
While Raab Collections is selling the original reading copy, the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis has a copy hand-annotated by Harrison.
"There are pencil marks and he's crossed out some things in here," said curator Jennifer Capps. "These are all notations that Benjamin Harrison made on this particular copy."
The presidential site's copy is usually filed away, but the museum scanned the pages and published them online with help from IU Indianapolis.
"That is part of our mission, to share these items as public interest and promote civic engagement," Capps said.
Benjamin Harrison served one term as President of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He returned to Indianapolis after his term and died at his home in 1901.
