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McKinley Presidential Library & Museum and National Memorial

Canton · Stark County · Northeast Ohio

A presidential library, a science museum and a memorial tomb in Canton

Presidential libraryMcKinley National Memorial

Visiting information you can trust

Check before driving — this site is seasonal, approximate, privately run, or otherwise uncertain. Confirm hours and access with the official source above.

Content last reviewed: September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source: Official page
Location confidence: Verified entrance or visitor center
McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, 800 McKinley Monument Dr NW
Seasonal access: Museum: Tuesday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday noon to 4 p.m. McKinley National Memorial: April 1 to November 1 during museum hours, free. Ramsayer Research Center: Tuesday to Friday, by appointment.
Check current conditions: Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets: Tickets or admission info

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

A hilltop memorial and museum in Canton that covers McKinley's life and presidency, Stark County history and outer space.

President: William McKinley, the 25th president, in office 1897 to 1901; born in Niles and built his career in Canton as lawyer, prosecutor, congressman and governor
Campaign: He ran a front porch campaign from his Canton home in 1896
Death: He was shot at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in September 1901 and buried at Canton on September 19
Museum: The largest collection of McKinley artifacts in the world, a Stark County history gallery, a science center and a planetarium
Memorial: The McKinley National Memorial, funded by donations and completed in 1907, holds the sarcophagi of William and Ida McKinley
Operator: The Stark County Historical Society

The story

William McKinley was born in Niles in 1843, served as a Union soldier, and built his career in Canton, where he practiced law, served as county prosecutor, represented Ohio in Congress and was governor before winning the presidency in 1896 with a front porch campaign at his Canton home. He served from 1897 to 1901 and won a second term in 1900. In April 1898 Congress went to war with Spain, and the Treaty of Paris of December 10, 1898 gave the United States Puerto Rico and Guam, while the United States purchased the Philippines and took control of Cuba, which was granted its independence. He also signed the annexation of Hawaii. Historians note that McKinley had entered the war to liberate Cuba but shifted to acquiring territory when he sent troops to Manila, and that prominent figures, including William Jennings Bryan, Grover Cleveland and the American Anti-Imperialist League, opposed annexing the Philippines. The Philippines became independent in 1946.

On September 6, 1901 an anarchist, Leon Czolgosz, shot McKinley twice at the Temple of Music at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. The wounds first seemed not to be life-threatening, but he developed gangrene and died on September 14, 1901, and Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him. His funeral train brought him to Canton, and he was buried in the Wertz Receiving Vault at West Lawn Cemetery on September 19, 1901. Within days President Theodore Roosevelt appointed a board of trustees to plan a memorial, and the McKinley National Memorial, funded by donations from around the world, was completed in 1907 on a hill on the west side of the city. The museum at its foot was built by the Stark County Historical Society and combines a presidential library, a history museum with the largest collection of McKinley artifacts anywhere, a science center and planetarium and the Ramsayer Research Center. The McKinleys' Canton home was destroyed by fire in 1937. Canton is on the Lincoln Highway, a short way from the Buckeye Trail's Massillon Section.

Related sites

The Tomb That Took Six Years to Build

The funeral train brought him home to Canton in September 1901, and the President was placed in a temporary vault. The country wanted something grander than that, so people from across the world sent money for a memorial, and six years later it opened on a hill above the city.

At the bottom of the hill stands the library, and inside it is a planetarium, in a museum about a man who never saw an airplane fly.

Behind the legend

The 1901 burial date, the memorial's 1907 completion and donations, the museum's collections and the 1937 fire that destroyed the McKinley home are from the museum's pages, Wikipedia and See Ohio First. The war with Spain, the Treaty of Paris terms, the annexations and the debate over the Philippines come from the Miller Center, Britannica, EBSCO research starters and Wikipedia. The shooting on September 6, its details and the death on September 14 from gangrene are from Britannica, American History Central and Wikipedia. Admission prices differ: $17 as of 2025, $10 in older guides.

If you go

Climb the memorial's staircase, tour the museum and add the Pro Football Hall of Fame, also in Canton.

Visiting

Status

Open; memorial seasonal

Managed by

Stark County Historical Society

Hours

Museum: Tuesday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday noon to 4 p.m. McKinley National Memorial: April 1 to November 1 during museum hours, free. Ramsayer Research Center: Tuesday to Friday, by appointment.

Admission

Adult admission $17 as of February 2025 by the museum; an older listing gives $10. Reduced prices for EBT cardholders. Children 2 and under free.

Phone

330-455-7043

Please note

The memorial has a steep staircase.

Address

800 McKinley Monument Dr NW, Canton, OH 44708

Official information →Directions Find trails nearby on AllTrails →

Hours and prices change. Confirm with the site before you go.