The Golden Lamb has played host to 12 presidents in its 209-year history. The restaurant and inn originally attracted dignitaries because of its location halfway between Cincinnati and National Road, said Warren County Historian John Zimkus. Today, the draw comes in part because of the ownership of Sen. Rob Portman and also its setting in a picturesque historic downtown, Zimkus said.

Chronologically, the first president to visit the Golden Lamb was Ulysses S. Grant, who was touring the then-western portion of the country, while employed by his father as a teenage boy in 1839. Because Grant was not yet a notable historical figure at the time of his visit, the details have been mostly lost to history, Zimkus said.

William Henry Harrison visited Lebanon on multiple occasions, including being the first man to make a presidential campaign stop at the Golden Lamb in September 1840. A parade held in Harrison’s honor began right in front of the Golden Lamb and carried Harrison to the spot of the current fairgrounds, where he gave a speech.

Martin Van Buren was the first of two former presidents to come to Lebanon on June 4, 1842 and remains the only Democratic president to have stopped there. Van Buren had lost his 1840 reelection bid to Harrison but was keeping his name alive by travelling around the country, Zimkus said. The former president was escorted into town by the Lebanon town band and gentlemen on horseback and gave a talk in front of the Golden Lamb, which was known as the Bradley House because of its owner Calvin Bradley.

John Quincy Adams, the second former president to dine at the Golden Lamb, came on Nov. 7, 1843. Adams, who was then a Congressman, had been invited to give a speech at the laying of the cornerstone of a large telescope in Cincinnati and stopped at Lebanon as the halfway point between the National Road and Cincinnati.

Rutherford B. Hayes came on Aug. 4, 1867 while running for governor. He and his opponent both agreed to begin their campaigns on that date, and Hayes picked Lebanon as his starting point. He gave a speech at the Washington Hall, which was located at the corner of Silver and Mechanic streets. News articles at the time noted Hayes apologized for reading his speech but said it was done “so no honest man could misunderstand him and no dishonest man could misrepresent him.”

James A. Garfield also spoke at Washington Hall in August 1871. Garfield went to a Sunday School picnic at Bethany Church near the Interstate 71 and Ohio 123 interchange. Garfield was said to have given a fantastic speech.

Benjamin Harrison came to Lebanon in August 1883 to speak during a reunion of Ohio Civil War Infantry veterans at the fairgrounds. Harrison was a general during the Cvil War and a U.S. Senator from Indiana at the time.

William McKinley visited on Oct. 24, 1893 while he was governor. McKinley spoke at the Opera House across the street from the Golden Lamb. The newspaper articles at the time commented on McKinley’s looks as a handsome man and compared him to Napoleon.

In November 1898, William H. Taft came for the funeral of Judge George Sage. Taft was a member of the U.S. Federal Court in Cincinnati and came up on a private train. Taft was an honorary pallbearer at the funeral, which was held at First Baptist Church.

Warren G. Harding came twice to Lebanon while campaigning. He first came on Oct. 16, 1910 while running for governor, which he lost and then came back exactly four years later for his triumphant Senate race.

Ronald Reagan, then the governor of California, came to The Golden Lamb on Sept. 19, 1968, to campaign for local Congressman Donald “Buz” Lukens. An estimated 1,000 people came to the Golden Lamb to hear him speak, with an estimated half being fans of Reagan from his movie days. Reagan’s microphone didn’t work so he stood on a chair and spoke to the crowd for more than 30 minutes.

George W. Bush on May 4, 2004 became the only sitting president to visit the Golden Lamb. Bush was introduced by then-congressman Rob Portman, whose family owned the building. Bush commented that he “knew Portman was a good legislator, but didn’t realize he was a good innkeeper.” Bush was shown a room at the inn that his mother, Barbara, had stayed in while campaigning for her husband in 1988.