After logging miles of cornfields and gas stations, we lost an hour in returning to the Eastern time zone. Our destination was our home state of Ohio, the heart of it all and the land of seven former presidents (the swing state conveniently pays no mind to the fact that they were all corrupt, lame ducks, or died while in office).

When you see the porch where Warren G. Harding made his early campaign promises in Marion, Ohio, you are not far from BPOE No. 32, the former president’s home lodge.

Chartered in the 19th century, the Marion Elks are a fixture in the downtown area. The lodge is a pair of multi-storied buildings, one of which formerly housed the historic Grand Opera House. Because of the numerous locally-organized parades, circuses, and performances, the lodge was dubbed "The Minstrel Lodge."

The lodge is open seven days a week, and we encountered several members who are daily visitors. During intermissions of the Cleveland Indians game they engaged in a rapid-fire discussion of Ohio's recent indoor smoking ban. We uncovered a plethora of primary source material from the turn of the century, but had a difficult time mining stories from the Marion members. Whether that was because these Elks were wary or because we were too harried from traveling, we couldn’t tell.

Regardless, we have one more stop before an oven, and related accoutrements, are readily available.

Rachel Gargiulo is a current student of the Museum School. Matthew Gamber (MFA '04) is currently Editor-in-Chief of Big RED and Shiny, an online arts journal for the visual arts in New England.