The Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation, Inc. (CCMF) was established in 1960 as a non-profit educational organization. Since there is no presidential library for Calvin Coolidge, our 30th U.S. President, we develop materials and programs to present and preserve his legacy. The Coolidge Foundation owns and maintains its offices in the 1840 Union Christian Church at the President Calvin Coolidge Historic Site in Plymouth Notch, Vermont. The Coolidge Foundation is the only membership organization devoted to President Coolidge and welcomes new members.

The Coolidge Foundation offices are open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, year round except for federal holidays (an exception is July 4, when we celebrate the birthday of Calvin Coolidge). We answer inquiries on Calvin Coolidge and try to facilitate information for scholars and the general public. We are members of Association of State and Local Historical Societies, the New England Museum Association, and the Vermont Museum and Gallery Alliance. Please stop by our offices when you visit the Coolidge Historic Site.

The President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site is owned and operated by the State of Vermont, except for the Union Christian Church, which is owned and operated by the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation. There is a general admission to visit buildings. No charge for Coolidge Foundation members. For ticket prices and more information visit the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site home page.

 A Brief History of the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation

In 1935, due to heavy tourism of Plymouth Notch, Vermont, Mr. Willis C. Belknap of Bellows Falls suggested that a permanent National Memorial be created to honor President Coolidge. Plymouth Notch itself would be a National Memorial. The first president of this organization was John G. Sargent of Ludlow, VT, Calvin Coolidge's Attorney General in Washington, D.C. A corporation was chartered called the Coolidge Memorial Foundation. The main object was to obtain title to buildings, restore them and install proper safeguards for the village. With this planning was to be a conscious effort to keep out commercialism and to protect the surrounding land. Memberships were sold to raise funds for the organization. The group stated in its literature, "Let us preserve historic Plymouth, among the beautiful Green Mountains, as a shrine for the American people, symbolic of the source and simplicity of true greatness."

Vrest Orton, chairman of the Vermont Historic Sites Commission, reported on his view of the preservation of Plymouth Notch in his book, Calvin Coolidge's Unique Vermont Inauguration. Mr. John Clement of the Commission approached Grace Coolidge in 1947 with an eye to restoring the Wilder House and the Plymouth Notch Cemetery. On July 1, 1957, John Coolidge, the President's son, presented the Coolidge homestead to the state of Vermont. Lt. Governor Robert T. Stafford was part of the ceremonies. The Commission developed a corridor in the homestead so that the public could visit and see the building as it was August 3, 1923 when Col. John Coolidge swore his son in as President. The interior furnishings were a gift of John and Florence Coolidge, the President's son and daughter in law.

In 1960, a non-profit organization named The Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation was formed. With the State of Vermont, a Visitors' Center was built. This gave the village a place for a larger exhibit to be displayed and provided a welcoming area for tourists. The Union Christian Church was deeded by the town leaders to the Coolidge Foundation, but no funds were raised for upkeep or endowment.

The Coolidge Foundation raised funds to purchase a Coolidge/Dawes banner which is the largest item at the Visitors Center. The Coolidge Foundation built offices and a vault in the basement of the Union Christian Church in 1989 to house its staff and archives. A well was drilled to draw water for the church and post office. The Coolidge Foundation, in 1997, installed a sprinkler system to protect the building. Two water tanks were placed underground so that the Division for Historic Preservation could utilize the water for the other buildings as well. A ramp was installed at the church in 1997 so that all the buildings at the site could be handicapped-accessible.

In 1990, the Coolidge Foundation did considerable fund raising for a documentary film on Calvin Coolidge. The independent filmmaker expanded the running time to 3 hours from 90 minutes and thus made this a very ambitious project. He is working with Vermont Public Television.

The Coolidge Foundation has published and printed books over the years. When books about Calvin and Grace Coolidge are out of print, there is considerable thought to reprinting them. CCMF reprinted The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge many times. This well written autobiography is in demand at the site stores and by members and friends. For the 75th Anniversary of the Homestead Inaugural, Return to These Hills, the Vermont Years of Calvin Coolidge was reprinted in 1998. Please visit our Bookstore to obtain your own copy.