To celebrate the American Bicentennial in 1976, crafters across the nation created handmade gifts and decorations to send to the White House. By January 1976, the White House had already received 300-400 gifts including hats and dolls, statues and sculptures, and even a Declaration of Independence made of alphabet noodles from Girl Scout Troop 208 of Wisconsin.

President Ford was a popular subject for these Bicentennial crafters. Multiple sculptures and statues of Ford were gifted to the nation through the White House. At 5 feet tall, a papier mache sculpture of Ford dressed as a minuteman was presented to the Fords by Chuck Russo at a campaign stop in Florida.

Artist Michael Ruane Manning, creator of rock caricatures known as “Stoney Maloneys,” created a one-of-a-kind Stoney Maloney of Ford. Made of Pennsylvania river stone, this sculpture shows President Ford holding an elephant, the symbol of the Republican Party, in one hand and his ever-present pipe in the other.

Another popular subject for Bicentennial crafts were animals. A small sampling includes a Bicentennial-themed footstool in the shape of a turtle carved by Phillip Brooks;  a rope horse with red, white, and blue colored accents created by Michael Wolf; and a Bicentennial flag-themed elephant toy by Mrs. Joseph J. Fox.

Others used their knitting, crocheting, and sewing skills to create Bicentennial-themed headwear including a beanie knitted by Robby Yett and a brimmed hat crocheted by S.K. Frisbie, both made from red, white, and blue yarn.

In February 1976, President Ford was shown a sampling of these many gifts arranged in the State Dining Room before the gifts went on permanent display for the public in March at the Visitor’s Center in the Great Hall of the Commerce Building.

For more photos of Bicentennial gifts held in the museum’s collection, visit our Bicentennial artifact collection page! And for digitized resources about the Bicentennial from the library’s collection, visit our American Bicentennial Celebration subject guide!

Author: Kari Theisen