Photograph by Bernie Schmitt
These sterling-silver spurs
were worn in 1811 by William Henry Harrison during the Battle of Tippecanoe at Battle Ground, Indiana. The battle was a precursor to the War of 1812, and Harrison’s ensuing reputation as a war hero is widely regarded as the key factor in his landslide victory in the 1840 presidential election. The spurs were initially loaned to the Grouseland Historic Home Museum in Vincennes, Harrison’s residence during his tenure as governor of the Indiana Territory, by John Scott Harrison V, his great-great-great-grandson, to be “returned on demand.” The spurs, along with other items belonging to Harrison, including the bicorn hat he also wore at Tippecanoe, were ultimately purchased to become part of the permanent Grouseland collection. “The little star roulettes still spin,” says Lisa Ice-Jones, executive director of Grouseland. “The detail is amazing.”
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON’S SPURS
VINTAGE
1811
RESIDE
At Grouseland in Vincennes
