Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
Buffalo, N.Y.
Visited: May 2, 2004
NPS Site Visited: 33 of 353
NPS Website; Local Website
 WHAT IS IT?
The Victorian-era house where Theodore Roosevelt took the presidential Oath of Office in 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley.
BEAUTY (3/10)
The House is a fine example of Greek Revival architecture.
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE (4/10)
The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural NHS remembers the painful early September week of McKinley’s murder. Roosevelt was the first president to be inaugurated in a city without Capitol or Congressional connection.
The Site places equal emphasis on the Victorian furnishings of Mr. Wilcox’s House. In fact, the Park brochure headlines the site as the Ansley Wilcox House.
CROWDS (7/10)
The Site was packed. We arrived during one of its fundraisers, a Mother-Daughter afternoon tea. A Park volunteer told us that they have a few Victorian-themed fundraisers every year and that they all quickly sell out. The Site’s four refurbished rooms were thickly populated with nicely dressed women, many of them in fancy hats. We might as well have been at the Kentucky Derby.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (2/5)
The Site is located one mile north of downtown Buffalo on a major north-south street, Delaware Avenue. Two blocks from the Site is the world famous Anchor Bar, birthplace of Buffalo Wings, a sharp contrast to the Victorian manners of the Wilcox house.
We did not see any brown NPS signs leading us to the site. We had no troubles because of our handy AAA Buffalo city map. There is a free parking lot around the back end of the house.
The house is two-stories. We thought we saw an accessible entrance in the back of the building, but weren’t quite sure how to access it or where exactly it led. Once in the building, hallways are narrow and might make for a tight squeeze in a wheelchair or with a stroller, especially on a crowded day like today.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (5/5)
The modest and eclectic bookstore is tucked away on the Site’s second floor. Once we made it upstairs, we found a superb selection of TR related books. There were a few books about only the McKinley assassination and some about the history of anarchists in the United States. Wow.
Unlike the other two Teddy Roosevelt sites, the Inaugural Bookstore has a large assortment of Teddy Bears, including ones dressed like Teddy’s family members. The store also has Victorian-era tea sets, paper dolls, children’s games and books related to Victorian manners and customs. Who would have thought one would fairly describe a TR-related store as dainty?
COSTS (3/5)
Entry into the Site is $3 per person. The Site does honor the National Parks Pass so if you have one, it’s free.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (5/5)
Because of the large Mother-Daughter tea crowd, help was everywhere. A guide was posted in each room to explain and answer questions. The only negative was that we got a lot of repeat information. We were told that on a normal day there would always be someone to give the visitor a personal tour. Given the sheer amount of knowledgeable Rangers and volunteers (at least 10), we are convinced.
 TOURS/CLASSES (8/10)
The Site’s one-room museum focuses only on the week of the assassination and inauguration. What a roller coaster ride. Who knew?
The week started with Buffalo hosting the prestigious Pan-American Exhibition. The highlight was the City of Light which utilized the newfound power of harnessed electricity from the nearby Niagara Falls.
The president visited and was promptly shot twice by a crazed anarchist. Doctors immediately operated and removed one of the bullets. They did not find the second because, ironically, they had insufficient light in the Exhibition infirmary. Teddy traveled to Buffalo just in case.
McKinley seemed to recover and TR returned to his vacation in the Adirondacks. All was well. A few days later, McKinley’s health took a sharp turn for the worse. Before Teddy could return to Buffalo, the president died from the gangrene caused by the lost bullet. TR returned and took the Oath of Office in the room across the hall from the museum.
The tour guides help by explaining both the Victorian decorative arts and the assassination. Most helpful, however, are the three large books of photocopied articles collected by Mr. Wilcox himself. The books contain nearly every article written in September 1901 about the week’s events. The first hand documents are a terrific read.
FUN (4/10)
It was fun to be amidst a large group of women and their daughters dressed to the nines to enjoy a Sunday tea. Their refreshments looked and smelled delicious. The site itself is a pleasant setting despite the somber subject matter. We enjoyed talking with the volunteers, all Buffalo natives and happy to speak with you about anything and everything regarding Buffalo and its honored guests.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (3/10)
Unless you are a huge Teddy Roosevelt fan, or interested in the moneyed elite of Buffalo who used to reside on Delaware Street (a.k.a. Millionaires Row), there is no real need to go out of your way to visit this site. If you are a student of Teddy, this site marks the beginning of his presidential career and would be worth an hour or two of your time.
Buffalo is en route to Niagara Falls. If you want to add a little history to your summer vacation, a slight detour into downtown Buffalo will give it to you. Add a lunch of buffalo wings at the Anchor Bar and Restaurant and this might not be a bad place to spend a rainy afternoon, should the weather not cooperate with your vacation plans.
TOTAL 44/80
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