Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, Indianapolis (must see)

The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site was the former home of the twenty-third President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison. It is in the Old Northside Historic District of Indianapolis. Harrison had the sixteen-room house with its red brick exterior built in the 1870s. It was from the front porch of the house that Harrison instituted his famous Front Porch Campaign in the 1888 United States Presidential Campaign, often speaking to crowds on the street.

Benjamin Harrison arrived in Indianapolis in 1854 in order to begin a career as a lawyer. In 1867, following his service in the military, he bought a double lot from an auction and built this house on it in 1875. Except for the time Benjamin Harrison served as United States Senator from Indiana (1881–1887), and his time as President of the United States (1889–1893), he lived at this home for the rest of his life.

While running for president in 1888, Benjamin Harrison issued campaign speeches to listeners on the street outside his home, in what were called "front-porch speeches". It is interesting to know that the house back then did not have a front porch. The front porch you see today was not built until 1896, 3 years after he left the presidency. Benjamin Harrison died in the master bedroom of the house on March 13, 1901.

The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site became a National Historic Landmark in 1966. Today the house is open to public as a house museum.