The 1½-story cabin, known as “The Shack,” was constructed on the banks of Deer Creek by US Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty at the close of World War I. Daugherty was the strategist for Warren G. Harding during his state and national political campaigns and a cabinet member during the Marion newspaper publisher’s presidency. Harding was elected state senator (1899–1902), lieutenant governor (1903–1904) and US senator (1915–1921), before being elected President of the United States in 1921.
The cabin was reported to be a favorite retreat for Harding and his circle of close friends known in Washington as the “Ohio Gang” or “US Boys.” In addition, the hospitality of the cabin was reported to extend to supporters of the administration and those who wished to do business with it. The Harding Cabin found itself in the national limelight, revealed as a hideout after scandals were uncovered during and after Harding’s presidential term.
Perhaps the most well known of the scandals led to the conviction of Harding’s Secretary of the Interior, Albert B. Fall, on charges of accepting bribes in connection with leasing of federal oil reserves at Teapot Dome, Wyoming. The 29th President, whose personal integrity was never questioned, died August 2, 1923, in San Francisco while on a transcontinental tour.
