Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
We were pleasantly surprised the afternoon that we visited the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site located in Buffalo, NY. We had never heard of this park and really had no idea what to expect.
The Park Ranger here was fantastic. He had grown up in Buffalo and was just so passionate about the history of this city and how such an important event like the inauguration of a President was able to take place here. The park is very small, just one building on a small plot of land but they are able to present the information in such an impactful manner you are sure to leave impressed.
The first part of our journey through the park focused on the history of the Pan-American Expo, which is what brought President William McKinley to Buffalo. Unfortunately during an appearance at the expo, the President was assassinated. This is the point in the story where the Park Ranger guided us through the mansion that has been converted into the National Park.
This is the exact location (a friend’s home) where Theodore Roosevelt stayed during this time. He used this as his home base to interact with the nation during this tragedy, and he was eventually was sworn in here.
On the second floor, there are fun modernized and interactive exhibits that we were able to explore. Stew and I had fun playing President and since we all know I am a sucker for cheesy touristy things I made sure to get myself emailed a copy of myself as President on the cover of the newspaper.
While we love big, well-known parks, finding little gems like this Site are what this journey is all about.
