His uncle Sardis Birchard died that year, and the Hayes family moved into Spiegel Grove, the grand house Birchard had built with them in mind.[95] That year Hayes announced his uncle's bequest of $50,000 in assets to endow a public library for Fremont, to be called the Birchard Library. It opened in 1874 on Front Street, and a new building was completed and opened in 1878 in Fort Stephenson State Park. (This site was per the terms of the bequest.)Hayes served as chairman of the library's board of trustees until his death.[96]
Hayes hoped to stay out of politics in order to pay off the debts he had incurred during the Panic, but when the Republican state convention nominated him for governor in 1875, he accepted.[97] His campaign against Democratic nominee William Allen focused primarily on Protestant fears about the possibility of state aid to Catholic schools.[98] Hayes was against such funding and, while not known to be personally anti-Catholic, he allowed anti-Catholic fervor to contribute to the enthusiasm for his candidacy.[98] The campaign was a success, and on October 12, 1875 Hayes was returned to the governorship by a 5,544-vote majority.