Birthday Celebration for Calvin Coolidge and America

PLYMOUTH, Vt. – President Calvin Coolidge is the only U.S. President to be born on Independence Day. This year, to commemorate the fourth of July, the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth Notch will host a day of festivities and events from 9 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

“Plymouth Notch on the Fourth of July is the perfect place to experience history where it actually happened,” says State Historic Preservation Officer Laura V. Trieschmann. “We invite everyone to explore the home where Calvin Coolidge was born, the homestead where he grew up, and the village that influenced this Vermonter to seek office as President of the United States.”

Start the day in the Union Christian Church at 9: a.m. for a reading of the Declaration of Independence with the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. At 11:30 a.m., members of the Coolidge family will judge the “Grace Coolidge’s Icebox Cookie Baking Competition” on the porch of the Cilley General Store.

The Vermont National Guard will lead the procession to the cemetery for the laying of a wreath at the president’s grave at 12 p.m. Immediately following, enjoy a slice of President Coolidge’s birthday cake, wave an American flag, and listen to an old-time string band. In the afternoon, explore the historic village, see cheese making in John Coolidge’s 1890 factory by Plymouth Artisan Cheese, and watch The Coolidge Cup, a national invitational speech and debate tournament sponsored by the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. The public and media are welcome.

New to this year’s July 4 festivities is the Icebox Cookie Baking Competition. Members of the public are invited to bake and bring a dozen cookies using First Lady Grace Coolidge’s cookie recipe (find the recipe below) to be tasted and judged by members of the Coolidge family.

“On his birthday, Calvin Coolidge enjoyed homemade treats lovingly baked by his mother Victoria, a family housekeeper, and later First Lady Grace. There is no better way to honor Coolidge’s birthday today, 151 years later, than with a recipe that was familiar to him,” says Rejoice Scherry, the site’s administrator.

Visitors to the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site can explore the new exhibit, “Coolidge’s Contemporaries: The Ascension of Early 20th Century World Leaders.” This special exhibit compares President Coolidge’s unorthodox but humble oath of office to the ascension ceremonies of other influential leaders from across the globe. For more information on the State Historic Sites and events visit their website.

Grace Coolidge’s Icebox Cookies
1 cup butter or shortening
2 cups brown sugar
3 ½ cups flour
1 Tsp. baking soda
½ Tsp Salt
1 cup chopped nuts
2 eggs, well beaten
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Sift flour, soda, and salt 3 times. Add nuts, eggs, and flour. Mix all thoroughly and pack into mold (long narrow bread pan) and let stand overnight. Do not grease the mold or baking pan. Next day, unmold and slice very thin. Bake for 10 minutes.

To enter the baking contest, please send an email of interest to the site administrator at rejoice.scherry@vermont.gov.