Rutherford Hayes' father died a few months before his birth, causing an uncle to step in and help his sister raise her children. Nicknamed "Rud," Rutherford had been the fifth and last child of the family, one of only two siblings to survive to adulthood.

Hayes was sent to Harvard Law School. He married his wife Lucy in 1873 and distinguished himself first in military service, then as a Congressman, and later as Ohio's governor. Rud and Lucy moved into Spiegel Grove, an estate owned by his uncle that he eventually inherited.

The original red brick home was built in 1860 on 25 acres of wooded lands in northern Ohio. Hayes enlarged it twice, creating a three-story Victorian with 33 rooms to accommodate his growing family of eight children, and ultimately, multitudes of grandchildren. The estate is enclosed by a decorative wrought iron fence with six gates, all brought from the White House after 1881.