Building the McKinley National Memorial

Building the McKinley National Memorial. . , Built from 1905 to 1907, the McKinley National Memorial is the final resting place for President McKinley, his wife Ida, and their two young daughters., This magnificent tribute to our 25th President was built entirely from private donations, organized by the McKinley National Memorial Association. Today it is still privately owned and operated by the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum., The association chose architect Harold Van Buren Magonigle’s design for the Monument, as it is known locally. They hired Harrison Granite Company of New York to erect the Monument and the Gorham Manufacturing Company of New York and Rhode Island to fabricate the bronze work., The Monument is a double dome construction. There are two walls, interior and exterior, with a space in between, and two domes, an outer dome and inner dome, also with an access space. The brick foundation walls are made of more than 2,000,000 bricks, all produced in Stark County. The brick walls are set 15 feet deep on a double ringed wall of concrete., The construction process was truly a national and international effort. Nine states contributed material for the project, arriving in Canton by rail and then brought on horse-drawn wagons to the work site. Ohio supplied the concrete, all of the brick, and much of the labor force. Massachusetts provided the pink Milford granite for the exterior. The interior marble walls, pedestal for the statue, and part of the marble floor came from the Grey Eagle quarries in Knoxville, Tennessee. Vermont provided the green granite for the double sarcophagus. The black granite base for the double sarcophagus and granite floor tiles came from Berlin, Wisconsin. Artisans in Illinois made the original plain glass skylight, though the current skylight was produced in Canton. All of the bronze work, including the large entrance doors, was cast in Rhode Island., Workers for the project were from many nationalities and races. There is even an account of African-Americans traveling from the Southeastern region of the United States all the way to Canton to ask for employment because of a deep admiration for President McKinley., The Monument was finished in time for the dedication on September 30, 1907. The manicured lawn, trees, and shrubs gave the impression of a long-established park, when in fact only six months has passed since the first tree was planted., “Thousands of loving hands have joined to bring the little family together in this beautiful temple.”- William R. Day, September 30, 1907.