Last October, I visited Pennsylvania for a wedding. Afterwards, I spent a few extra days staying with my parents.

And, I was absolutely, positively, chomping at the bit to visit Wheatland, the former estate of U.S. President James Buchanan. My parents seemed markedly less enthusiastic. But, they were still happy to drive me there.

The historic home is located in Western Lancaster. It’s run and maintained by LancasterHistory, and tickets can be found here. Visitors typically embark upon a guided tour.

Before embarking upon the tour, we were shown a film on the life of James Buchanan, a short documentary which doesn’t shy away from speculation about his sexuality, and a frank appraisal of his failings as president.

(I was surprised to see a friend’s dad in the film – I knew he was a history professor, but hadn’t realized he had written a book on Buchanan.)

The home is beautiful, perfectly suited to Buchanan’s status seeking nature. Many furnishings were original. Buchanan’s relatives donated numerous heirlooms back to Lancaster History/Wheatland, helping to make this restoration possible.

Our tour guide did a great job walking us through the home, whilst happily sporting a fetching hoop skirt. I was the youngest in the tour group. Our guide was quite intent on leaving questions to the end of each room, ideally to avoid repetition, but other group members were intent on repeatedly asking whether all of the home’s furnishings were original…

So, what of Buchanan?

He embarked on a law career. His goal was to make money. Eventually, he turned to politics, taking on a variety of roles, including serving as the Minister to the United Kingdom. During this particular posting, he avoided being in the United States for controversial events, such as the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which led to rising tension over slavery.

Buchanan became a popular presidential candidate because he wasn’t around for contentious decisions like this one. He was a “blank slate” and people could imagine he agreed with their viewpoints.

As president, he had strong southern/pro-slavery sympathies, and made a lot of awful choices. The best redeeming argument for him, is speculation that his mental faculties were affected by arsenic poisoning on the eve of his inauguration.

At the end of his presidency, Buchanan retired to Wheatland, where he stayed during the Civil War. He was not in good health, suffering from gout.

Besides, President James Buchanan himself, the tour focused partially on family members: nieces, nephews, housekeepers. In particular, Buchanan’s niece Harriet stood out as an important figure. As a surrogate First Lady for the bachelor President, she was the hostess for numerous White House events. She also had a long friendship with Queen Victoria, cultivated a European style, and would later help to maintain Buchanan’s legacy.

My two favorite furnishings were a weird bath stool Buchanan used to bathe himself, and a still unopened bottle of Buchanan’s favorite Madeira wine.

Wheatland is fascinating, and a lovely place worth a visit. I certainly would have been amused if it provided visitors with a hagiographic account of Buchanan, but by not shying away from ugly truths, it is able to convey a more complex portrait of an important historic figure.

I really enjoyed the tour. My parents were also pleasantly surprised. We all learned a lot. We all got our money’s worth. Highly recommended. 😁