William Henry Harrison Statue, Cincinnati, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

The William Henry Harrison statue stands on Garfield Place in Piatt Park, downtown Cincinnati. It honors the ninth US president, who lived in the Cincinnati area and held office for only 31 days. The statue is also a good place to hear the legend of Tecumseh's Curse.

The story behind it

Harrison made his name as a military commander at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, and went on to win the presidency in 1840. On his inauguration day in March 1841 he gave the longest inaugural address in history, 8,445 words and close to two hours. He fell ill soon afterwards and died 31 days into his term, the shortest presidency in American history. The speech has been blamed ever since, though historians still debate the exact cause of his illness.

His death fed a famous legend, often called Tecumseh's Curse or the Zero-Year Curse. The story says the Shawnee leader Tecumseh, whose allied confederation was broken at Tippecanoe, cursed Harrison and every president elected in a year ending in zero. The pattern looks eerie: Harrison (1840), Lincoln (1860), Garfield (1880), McKinley (1900), Harding (1920), Roosevelt (1940) and Kennedy (1960) all died in office. Reagan, elected in 1980, survived an assassination attempt, and the curse was considered broken. It is a legend, and almost certainly coincidence, but it makes a good tale to hear at the foot of the statue.

What to look for

• Look at the figure of Harrison himself and the way the sculptor has posed him, then think of the two-hour speech he gave in 1841.
• Read the base of the monument for the inscription naming the man it honors.
• Notice the setting: Piatt Park is a narrow green strip running along Garfield Place, a calm pocket between downtown office buildings.
• Find the statue of James A. Garfield in the same park, another president whose name appears on the zero-year list.

Tips for your visit

• The statue is outdoors in a public park, so you can see it any time without a ticket. Allow 10 to 15 minutes to look around and read the inscriptions.
• Morning or late afternoon light is kinder for photographs and the park is quieter than at lunchtime, when office workers use it.
• It sits in the heart of downtown, so it combines easily with a walk to Fountain Square and other central sights.
• Wear comfortable shoes if you plan to link it with other stops, as the downtown streets are best explored on foot.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Cincinnati passes the Harrison statue as one stop on a longer walk through downtown. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what you see around you. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Oz Escape: A Wicked Glitch in Cincinnati is a lighter, Oz-themed way to see the same area. You walk to the statue, hear its story on the spot and solve a puzzle before moving on. One ticket covers the whole group.

Cincinnati Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. suits a visit to a presidential monument. You reach the statue on foot as part of a route through the city, learn about it from the app and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.