The Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum in Northampton, Massachusetts, is looking to make some big changes that would add more context to exhibits about the 30th president.
The city's Forbes Library, which houses the Coolidge museum, made the announcement this past weekend as part of a fundraising drive.
The museum is not part of the presidential library system run by the National Archives and does not receive federal or state funding.
There's an advantage to that independence, said Forbes' director, Lisa Downing.
"Frankly, there's lots of issues around, you know, should the museums be ... putting these presidents on pedestals and highlighting the positive and wonderful components of their ... record?" Downing said in an interview Monday. "We have a lot more freedom to tell a different story."
Downing said the Coolidge library has no commitment to tell anything but the truth when it comes to mixed feelings about the former president's record.
"While we were very proud to have him here and call Northampton his hometown, there certainly are pieces of his record that I think need to be brought to light as well," she said. "I have to be clear and say that we're not doing that now. Right now, it's sort of a very traditional presentation."
Downing said one example of that is Coolidge's record on Native American issues. The museum features Indigenous objects that were thank-you gifts for Coolidge signing the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924. But a more complete exhibit, she said, would explain the nuances of the law and some lawmakers' motives — including assimilation.
"So what we really want to do is be able to pick out those stories and give more context so that the visitor experience will be both interesting and entertaining and hopefully educational," she said. "We want this to be a place that people come, just because they're a little bit curious, and then become engaged with it. So that's going to take some work to do."
The museum is looking to raise private money to "overhaul" its exhibits. Downing estimated the initial phase of the plan will cost about $30,000.
Located on Forbes Library's second floor, the museum currently holds Coolidge's personal papers and other memorabilia — such as the electric horse he installed in the White House.
"Coolidge missed riding horses and was very committed to physical fitness," she said. "It's quite an odd-looking contraption, and unfortunately, it does not work. But you can imagine him riding this horse in the White House."
The museum is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday.
"It is worth a visit, even in its current state," Downing said.
