LIVE! Election Day

LIVE! Election Day comes to the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site on Tuesday, November 3, from 10 AM to 3 PM. It's a free, family-friendly event that puts you right in the middle of the 1888 presidential election, and the whole thing is built around the first-floor tours of the site.

The day is set up as a step back to 1888. You follow the Harrison family as they wait for the election results to come in, and the big question hanging over the house is whether General Benjamin Harrison will actually become President. It's a way to see the tension of that particular moment from the inside, rather than just reading about it in a history book.

There's a good amount of focus on the people behind the campaign, too. The experience brings in the story of Harrison's wife, Caroline, and the sheer scale of his outreach: he delivered more than 80 speeches to over 80,000 people right from their front porch during the campaign. Seeing that number—80,000 people listening from a porch—gives you a sense of how he actually ran for office.

The event takes place at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, a history museum dedicated to the life and times of the 23rd U.S. President. The site describes its mission as increasing public participation in the American system of self-government, and it keeps that going year-round with a calendar of classes, memberships, and summer camps for all ages. You'll find it at 1230 North Delaware Street in Indianapolis, and the event runs from 10 AM to 3 PM on November 3.