Thursday, May 28, 2009

Buffalo, New York: McKinley Assassination Site


President William McKinley visited the Pan-Am Exhibition in Buffalo on September 6, 1901. He decided to greet patrons at the Temple of Music on the grounds. Bad idea.

McKinley was shot by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist. McKinley lingered for a while and might have survived had the medical technology of the day been a bit better. But the President died on Sept. 14.

It's been argued that Buffalo never quite got over the shame of that day, although other cities seemed to recover from such actions. The city erected a huge memorial downtown by City Hall in Niagara Square.

The actual site of the act is a different story. The public literally tore the Temple of Music apart, taking home souvenirs. When the Exposition ended later in 1901, the grounds were developed.

However, the actual spot of the shooting is marked on an island on a residential street in North Buffalo. And this is what it looks like.

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