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The National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Niles, Ohio The National McKinley Birthplace Memorial, operated and maintained by the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Association, is an excellent example of Greek Classic architecture. Designed by McKim, Mead and White and erected in two years, the memorial celebrated its dedication in 1917. The site was chosen because William McKinley attended a one-room schoolhouse that once stood on the Memorial grounds. Worldwide contributions paid for the construction of the building. Marble for the memorial was quarried in Georgia and shipped by rail to Niles. The 232-foot by 136-foot monument is constructed with two lateral wings. One wing houses the McKinley Memorial Library and the other contains the McKinley Museum and an auditorium. The center Court of Honor is supported by 28 imposing columns and features a heroic statue of William McKinley, sculpted by John Massey-Rhind. Busts of men instrumental in the development of the Mahoning Valley, politicians, industrialists and financiers line the Court of Honor, the auditorium and library. These bronze busts, mounted on marble pedestals, weigh between 800 and 1,100 pounds each. The McKinley Birthplace Museum Located in the balcony of the right wing of the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial. The museum is operated by the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Association. The museum’s collections feature memorabilia from the Civil and Spanish American wars, objects from McKinley’s campaigns and presidencies and from the construction of the memorial. Other objects on display include mannequins of President and Mrs. McKinley in a sleigh, a spinning wheel owned by the McKinley family, a piano owned by the President’s mother, and a law desk belonging to the late President. The museum acquired its newest collection, the Bechtel collection, in 2010. This collection features a variety of William McKinley items that will become incorporated into the permanent exhibit. The National McKinley Birthplace Museum 40 North Main Street P.O. Box 121 Niles, OH 44446 (330) 652-4273 www.mckinleybirthplace museum.org nat.mckinley.birthplace. [email protected] Museum Hours: M-Sat 9-4pm Last tour at 3:30pm No admission fee Please phone ahead for group tours Balcony and restrooms are not handicap accessible McKinley’s Vice Presidents were Garrett Hobart and Theodore Roosevelt. He is pictured here with Hobart. President McKinley delivering his last speech at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, NY dressed in his typical attire of a frock coat, vest, pinstriped trousers, a stiff white shirt, and a black satin tie. McKinley was the first presidential candidate to extensively use campaign buttons and memorabilia to increase electoral appeal. William McKinley’s law desk from Canton. Cannon from the Spanish American War. Mannequins of President and Mrs. McKinley. Last words of President McKinley as recorded at his bedside by Dr. Matthew Mann.
