Warren G. Harding Memorial, Marion
The Harding Tomb is a circular monument of white Georgia marble furnished by the Georgia Marble Company of Tate, Georgia, and contains the remains of President and Mrs. Harding. The monument, set in 10 acres of landscaped grounds, is similar in appearance to a round Greek temple. The simple Doric features and spacious surroundings combine to create one of the most beautiful presidential memorials outside Washington, D. C.
The only variation from the plain white marble is in the floor, where a mosaic style is produced with gray and white squares. Upon approaching the monument, one's curiosity is immediately aroused, since it has not the usual feature of a doorway, and on looking through the columns one sees that it has no roof and instead of being a sepulchral chamber it forms an open court, more aptly described as a cloister. The effect thus produced is not of a funeral or cemetery character, and being open to the sky makes it possible to have a garden plot surrounding the tomb.
The entire structure with its shrubbery and planting may be aptly described as a garden crypt. It is a shrine of sufficient beauty not to be forbidding or tomblike as is often the case in monuments of this character.
A memorial fund was begun, shortly after President Harding's death, with the organization of The Harding Memorial Association. A sum of $977,821 was raised for this purpose. There were over a million contributors from all parts of the United States, and the Philippines, as well as from several European countries. Included in the list of contributors were approximately 200,000 school children who contributed pennies to the fund.
The Harding Tomb is at the corner of State Route 423 and Vernon Heights Boulevard in Marion. Vernon Heights is about 1-1/2 miles west of U.S. Route 23 off of State Route 95 in Marion County.
Harding Memorial
Vernon Heights Blvd. Marion, OH 43302
