The first event in the new National Museum building, even before A&I decorated for the Garfield Inaugural Ball, March 4, 1881 its exhibits were installed, was the Inaugural Ball for President James A. Garfield and Vice President Chester A. Arthur on 4 March 1881. The festive and elegant event was attended by 7,000 people in the evening. Garfield was the first president to hold an inaugural ball at the Smithsonian. This view shows the East Hall of the National Museum, with a temporary wooden flooring installed for the inaugural. Note the initials of President James A. Garfield and Vice President Chester A. Arthur stenciled on the walls near the Rotunda. Bunting was hung from the balconies and garlands draped from the ceilings and walls. The seal and flags of each state were hung on the lower walls. In the Rotunda, a statue "America," holding an electric torch above her head, was installed for the occasion. The sculpture was representative of the skill, genius, progress, and civilization of the United States in the 19th century. In addition to two electric lights in the Rotunda, 3,000 gas lights were installed throughout the building. Some 10,000 bins for hats and coats were also built for the celebration. Installation of whale in the Comparative Anatomy Hall When the inaugural festivities were over, Baird prepared the building for the public. As soon as the permanent floor was laid, the work of installing exhibits began. Massive specimens of marine mammals were hoisted into place. A team of watchmen and laborers was hired for the building. The building opened to the public in October of 1881. In its first full year, 1882, the guards counted 167,455 visitors. Initially, the ground floor was completely open and devoted to exhibits. The halls were furnished with mahogany exhibit cases that were 8 feet, 8 inches long, to fit the architectural design of the building. They were easy to move so exhibits could be reconfigured without great difficulty. Installation of floors in the boat exhibit hall The cases themselves served as the partitions between exhibits. The cases were dust-proof and insect-proof, with special Yale locks, and each case was wired with an electric alarm that ran to the Superintendent's office. When the U.S. National Museum opened its doors to the public in 1881, it was the realization of Baird's dream to create a great national museum to educate the citizens of a democracy and display his country's accomplishments to visitors from all over the world.

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