Werts Receiving Vault

William McKinley, 25th President of the United States, was was assassinated on September 14, 1901 by Leon Czolgosz in Buffalo, NY. This tomb, first constructed in 1893 with funds donated by Mrs. Frank Werts, was built to house the recently deceased in the winter months when the ground was frozen and unable to be broken for burials. President McKinley was placed here until plans for a memorial could be completed.

William McKinley, born in Niles, Ohio in 1843, eventually found his way to a law office in Canton, Ohio where his political career began. After attending Allegheny College and enlisting in the Union Army during the Civil War, McKinley met and married Ida Saxton. Opening a law office in Canton just a few blocks from his wife's home, a young McKinley was poised for a bright future. At the age of 34 he was elected to Congress where he remained for a decade and a half when the Governorship of Ohio called to him. By 1896, he had earned the Republican nomination for President and was elected by the largest margin in more than twenty years. Early in his second term, however, he was gunned down while standing in line at the Buffalo Pan-American Exposition. He was only 58 years old.

This beautiful crypt was constructed eight years before the President would find himself inside its doors. It stands solemnly today as a reminder of days gone by and holds still the grief of so many who mourned the loss of their President.

Freidel, Frank. William McKinley, The Whitehouse. Accessed October 31st, 2022. https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/william-mckinley/.

Balint, Ed. 200 Things That Play in Stark County: Werts Receiving Vault - The first tomb of President McKinley, The Canton Repository. April 2nd, 2015. Accessed October 31st, 2022. https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/canton/2015/04/02/200-things-that-play-in/34852710007/.

Tikkanen, Amy. Leon Czolgosz: American Assassin, Britannica. October 25th, 2022. Accessed October 31st, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leon-Czolgosz.