McKinley Memorial Museum, Niles OH

The McKinley memorial in Niles, OH is a fascinating place to spend some time if you're interested in American history. They have a small museum that contains a lot interesting artifacts and displays about William McKinley, his life, his presidency, and of course his assassination. There is also a large auditorium in which various presentations take place periodically and a publicly accessible library. The woman who was at the front desk when I arrived was friendly and outgoing and demonstrated an encyclopedic knowledge of subjects relating to McKinley. Definitely worth a visit.

Belinda Weiss provided an excellent introduction to this Birthplace museum for the 25th president. The McKinley letters, campaign literature, and displays give one a sense of the intense opinions, the formality, and the extended hospitality of the times. The time line of the Spanish American War is concise. There were additional displays in the main gallery of the Holocaust, the Sons of the American Revolution flag collection, and posters on remembering the Ohio coal war. The collection of busts both inside and out remind one of the founders of the steel and iron industry for western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and eastern Ohio that built much of the USA.
A replica of the McKinley birthplace home is located a short walk from the museum. It is worth seeing what life may have felt like in the 1840s.

*As noted in the visitor brochure, the balcony level where most of the McKinley artifacts are located, is not handicap accessible. *

The McKinley Presidential Library and Museum are in Canton, OH approximately an hour drive west.