Description: This image of the William McKinley Monument, located in Canton, Ohio, shows the monument’s front exterior. A man and a woman are descending the steps (108) that lead to the memorial building. The monument’s dome and the statue dominate the view. William McKinley, Jr. (1843-1901), was president of the United States from March 1897 to September 1901. He was born in Niles, Ohio, but spent much of his life in Canton, Ohio. Early in his second term, in summer 1901, McKinley embarked on a cross-country tour during which he stopped in Buffalo, New York, to give a speech at the Pan American Exposition. Leon Czolgosz shot and fatally wounded the president during his visit to the exposition. McKinley died eight days later, on September 14, 1901. Formed after the president’s death, the McKinley Memorial Association helped raise the funds to build this memorial. The remains of McKinley, his wife, Ida Saxton McKinley, and two of their children are interred inside the memorial. Construction began on the memorial in 1905. Designed by Harold Van Buren Magonigle, the monument has two domes. One dome, which is fifty feet in diameter and seventy-five feet high, is known as the interior dome. The exterior dome is seventy-five feet in diameter and ninety-five feet high. President Theodore Roosevelt, who became president upon McKinley's death, dedicated the memorial on September 30, 1907. Located next to the McKinley National Memorial is the William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, which contains one of the largest collections of McKinley artifacts. The image was among the photographs produced by the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1935 and 1943. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06395
Subjects: McKinley, William, 1843-1901; Canton (Ohio); William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum; National Register of Historic Places; United States. Work Progress Administration
Places: Canton (Ohio); Stark County (Ohio)
 

Description: The McKinley Memorial in Niles, a memorial to President McKinley. The engraving on the structure reads: "WILLIAM MCKINLEY/ NATIONAL MEMORIAL FREE TO THE PEOPLE." Ohioan William McKinley, Jr., was President of the United States of America from 1897 to 1901. His presidency is known for the Spanish American War in 1898. The National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Association was incorporated by a special Act of Congress on March 4, 1911. The purpose of the Association was to erect a suitable structure marking the birthplace of President William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States. The result was the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial. The 232 foot by 136 foot by 38 foot monument is constructed of Georgian marble with two lateral wings-- one wing houses the public library called the McKinley Memorial Library, and the other wing houses the McKinley Museum and an auditorium. The Museum contains artifacts of the life and presidency of McKinley. In the center of the Memorial is a Court of Honor supported by 28 imposing columns. It features a heroic statue of McKinley sculptured by John Massey-Rhind. Surrounding the statue are busts and tablets dedicated to the members of McKinley's cabinet and other prominent men who were closely associated with him. These bronze busts, mounted on marble pedestals, weigh between 800 and 1100 pounds each. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06537
Subjects: McKinley, William, 1843- 1901; Monuments & memorials; William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum
Places: Niles (Ohio); Trumbull County (Ohio)