Just off the front hall of the Square House Museum stands a life-size, smiling, familiar figure rendered in cutout form, convincing enough to give you pause.
Draped in her signature purple shawl and pearls at her throat, former First Lady and Rye native Barbara Bush’s warm expression and steady posture greet visitors at an exhibit honoring her. Bush would have turned 100 this year. And to mark the occasion, the Rye Historical Society has opened an exhibit: “A Celebration of Life, Literacy, and Legacy.”
A U.S. postage stamp has been issued to mark the birth of Bush, whose husband, George H.W. Bush, was the country’s 41st president. The first lady’s connection to Rye runs deep. She grew up on Onondaga Street, where her lifelong devotion to books first took shape. As a child, she spent countless hours at the Rye Free Reading Room, a place she would later champion by helping raise money for its capital campaign. Her national commitment to literacy seems a natural extension of those early years.
The exhibit features photographs, personal notes, books, and memorabilia, offering an intimate portrait of a woman whose local beginnings shaped a national legacy. Timelines highlight major milestones, biographical panels trace her evolving public role, and testimonials reflect on the rare distinction of being both wife and mother of United States presidents.
“Some of these treasures come from the Historical Society’s own collection, some are on loan from the Barbara Bush Foundation, and others were generously shared by the Peters family. Barbara Bush was born Barbara Pierce, and her niece, Peggy Pierce Peters, still lives here in Rye,” said Natalie Hofstedt, the Rye Historical Society’s director of programs. “Since I began working here in January 2025, I’ve heard so many stories about Barbara Bush’s upbringing in this community. With support from friends of the Historical Society who are related to her, as well as several board members, we felt there was strong interest in celebrating her legacy, especially this year with the commemorative postage stamp in honor of her birthday. That’s how this exhibit came together.”
On the wall beside Barbara Bush’s cutout hangs a series of black-and-white photographs tracing her life and her deep ties to Rye. The images include a portrait of her at age seven and a 1936 photograph with her mother and four siblings. She appears again as a fresh-faced Rye Country Day School student. Barbara and George H.W. celebrated their wedding with a reception at the Apawamis Country Club in 1945, and there are pictures of that day along with others in 1947 of them with their first-born child George W., the future president. The photographs come full circle with images of her return to Rye, including a memorable moment in 1988 when she addressed a crowd from the porch of the Square House Museum during a campaign visit.
Another wall features a framed collage of memorabilia — among them a tribute from Smith College, where Mrs. Bush received an honorary degree in 1989; a pamphlet of family reading tips from the Barbara Bush Foundation; a photograph of the first couple at their 1989 inauguration; and a 1967 Bush family portrait taken in front of the U.S. Capitol.
Below the collage, a glass display case holds additional keepsakes: a small inauguration plate from 1989, a 50th-anniversary commemorative plate from 1995, political buttons, and a signed copy of her 1984 children’s book “Fred’s Story: A Dog’s Life.”
The “Fred” of that book’s title was Fred C., one of two beloved Bush family dogs who appear throughout the exhibit and who played a prominent role in Barbara Bush’s years as First Lady. Her dogs inspired more than one memoir — “dictated” to her, she would say — including “Millie’s Book.” Several of her other children’s titles are on display along with works she wrote for adult readers like “Pearls of Wisdom: Little Pieces of Advice That Go a Long Way,” and multiple biographies written by others. Magazine covers from Good Housekeeping (1989 and 1994) and Life (1989) feature Mrs. Bush alongside Millie.
Bush’s commitment to literacy and kindness are reflected in quotes throughout the exhibit. “Each day we should do something to help others,” she said. And “I honestly believe that if more people could read, write and comprehend, we would be so much closer to solving so many of the problems plaguing our society.”
“A Celebration of Life, Literacy, and Legacy” is to remain on view through March 31.
