DETOUR
WARREN HARDING
Harding Tomb, Marion, Ohio
The only rationale for the size of the 29th president’s resting place is that the Harding administration
was devastated by epic, sprawling, monster-sized
scandal. A long, grassy mall leads up to a gleaming
white marble monument (103 feet in diameter, 53 feet
in height). It’s huge—and totally out of proportion to
the town. The most human touch: The tombs of Warren and his wife, Florence, in the center are watched
over by a Japanese maple tree. (Naturally this was a
gift from Imperial Japan.) After my visit I grabbed
a bite at Friendly’s. My waitress, Martha, a recent
Harding High School grad, put it in some perspective:
“We all know he was a bad president, but he’s the
most famous person to come out of here.”
JAMES POLK
State Capitol, Nashville, Tenn.
Along with Andrew Jackson and Andrew Johnson, Polk is one of three presidents buried in Tennessee. As president, Polk worked feverishly, never once
taking a vacation. Then three months after leaving
Washington, he died of a fever—possibly cholera he
contracted on a trip to New Orleans.
Since he’s buried in Music City, I thought I’d
dress for the occasion. En route to the grave, I
stopped at the shop of famed clothier-to-the-country-stars
Manuel. Manuel created Johnny Cash’s Man in Black
look. He did the clothes for Urban Cowboy. He even
outfitted Elvis.
The rhinestones on
the shirt are handsewn (see page 24).
I promised to wear
it on The Today
Show so I got a deal.
WILLIAM TAFT
Arlington
National
Cemetery,
Arlington, Va.
Everyone knows
that Taft was fat—so
fat that the White
House had to install
a tub large enough
for four men. (Now
that’s a scandal just
waiting to happen.)
I have no idea how
many men could fit
