16 days ago
In the patriotic spirit of Election Day, we're continuing our "Unknown Stories of Western New York" series with a tall tale from a presidential election, that took place more than a century ago.
Martin Van Buren and William Harrison squared off in the race for The White House way back in 1840.
Harrison, who was running on the minor Whig Party line, wanted voters to know he was a man of the people. So he made up a story that he grew up in a log cabin.
His supporters actually built a log cabin at the corner of Main and Eagle Streets in Buffalo where they offered free hard cider to more than 10-thousand people.
The gimmick worked, as Harrison was the first Whig Party candidate ever to be elected president.
Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society
