Where President McKinley Was Shot
Buffalo, New York
Today, Fordham Drive on the north side of Buffalo, New York, runs through a pleasant-looking neighborhood of older homes. But in 1901 the space was occupied by the Temple of Music at the Pan-American Exposition, the World's Fair of its day. It was there, on September 6, that President William McKinley was shot as he tried to shake hands with Leon Czolgosz (CHOLE-goash), a deranged anarchist. McKinley died eight days later of his wounds. Czolgosz followed not long after in the electric chair.
The spot was marked on June 28, 1921, by a small plaque on a small rock, outlining the bare facts of the assassination. It still sits in the Fordham Drive median. When the weather's warm, as it often is on September 6, the tiny memorial is flanked by flowers and little American flags.