The McKinley Birthplace Home is a replica house located at 40 South Main Street, Niles, Ohio 44446, less than a block away from the McKinley Memorial Library!

View Special Parking Notice while utility work is happening in the alley behind the birthplace home.

OPEN HOURS

Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays from 1 – 4:30 PM *

SCHEDULE TOURS / CONTACT INFO

• * For tours at other times, or for groups of 10 or more, please call to schedule a tour.
• If you have questions, please call or email us:

     PHONE: 330-652-1704, ext. 3

     EMAIL: mckinley@mcklib.org

VISITOR INFORMATION

• Admission is free; donations are appreciated.
• Types of tours offered:
  • Guided Tours
  • Audio Tours (See Audio Tour App below)
  • Self-Guided Tours (based on staff availability)

AUDIO TOUR APP

• The app includes an audio tour for each room in the Birthplace Home, a transcript for each tour, Google Map directions, and parking instructions.
• Bring your own device or use the iPad provided.
• Free Wi-Fi is available.
• Use the App or Scan the QR Code below.

The mission of the McKinley Birthplace Home is to help visitors of all ages understand and connect to President William McKinley's childhood, his family's life in Niles, and the influence of his early years on his political career. To this end:

• We maintain and display a collection of items related to McKinley's childhood, his family's life in Niles, and his political career.
• We provide information in the form of tours, displays, programs, and a research library.
• We engage in promotion and outreach to ensure that our information is accessible to the widest possible audience.
• We strive to protect objects that have been committed to our care through appropriate storage, display, and handling.

OHIO HISTORICAL MARKER

• This signage is located in front of the birthplace home.
• It was dedicated by the Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Ohio Historical Society in 2003.

Frontside Text: One of seven native Ohioans to serve as president of the United States, William McKinley (1843-1901) was born at this site. The original house was moved from this site and ultimately destroyed by fire. The McKinleys lived here until 1852 when they moved to Poland, Ohio, where William attended the Poland Seminary. He briefly attended Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, but poor health and family financial strain forced him to return to Ohio. As an enlistee in the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, McKinley rose to the rank of major. After the war, he settled in Canton and practiced law. Elected to Congress in 1876, McKinley favored high protective tariffs, a policy he continued to support as President. (Continued on other side)

Backside Text: (Continued from other side) As Governor of Ohio from 1892 to 1896, he introduced a comprehensive tax system that levied excise tax on corporations, improved state roadways, and enacted a law establishing a state board of arbitration. McKinley won the presidential election of 1896 convincingly. During his first term the nation was adopting imperialistic policies. The U.S. took possession of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines following the Spanish-American War (1898), and McKinley encouraged American interest in China and suggested the possibility of a canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In part due to his economic policy and support of the gold standard, McKinley was elected to a second term. Six months after his inauguration in 1901, he was shot by an assassin at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo. He died on September 14 from complications of the gunshot wounds.

The McKinley Birthplace Home is a member of the Trumbull County Tourism Bureau.