West Overton Village will host collector Steve Mihaly, who will take visitors on a visual tour of the interesting, whimsical, and sometimes odd promotional items that presidential campaigns have produced to entice folks to vote for them.

Mihaly will draw from his massive collection of over 20,000 presidential artifacts to take guests on campaign trails throughout American history. See items such as William McKinley “Soap Baby Dolls,” Teddy Roosevelt “Big Sticks,” Franklin Roosevelt “Glow In The Dark Stove Pot Covers,” Dwight Eisenhower “IKE” sugar cubes distributed at restaurants, and a Richard Nixon shower head where the water comes streaming from his mouth! These are just a few of the 200 or so items that will be shown from his personal collection. 

Mihaly mixes history with fun and entertainment, with some amusing stories about our past presidents sprinkled in. 

Visitors can also try some of the presidents’ favorite snacks and drinks. President-inspired drinks will be available to purchase through West Overton Distilling, which produces rye whiskey on site for educational purposes.

This program will be hosted in the Overholt Room, the lower level of the Museum. 

Tickets are available on West Overton’s website: https://www.westovertonvillage.org/events/marketing-the-presidency 

About West Overton Village & Museum 

West Overton is a historic village that grew and industrialized around a whiskey distillery. Beginning as a family farm in 1803, the community boasted 50 buildings, including a general store, school, and post office by 1870. 250 people lived in West Overton and worked for the Overholt company's distillery, grist mill, coal mine, farm, and other businesses. West Overton native Henry Clay Frick left his fortune to his daughter, Helen Clay Frick, who purchased the property in 1922 as a way to memorialize her father. 

Today, West Overton Village preserves 19 historic buildings across 40 acres and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The site is a rare surviving example of a rural industrial community.  Visitors can tour the Overholt Homestead, the museum, as well as an educational distillery in which West Overton Village produces its own Monongahela rye whiskey for the first time since Prohibition. For more information, please visit https://www.westovertonvillage.org

###