Travel: Postcard from Canton, Ohio

Canton has the sort of character and history that makes this Ohio city in the Rust Belt worth exploring.

The big draw is the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is part museum and part shrine for America’s most popular sport. An annual game played at its stadium opens the NFL preseason.

Why Canton?

The league’s predecessor was organized here in 1920. Professional football had taken root in the industrial communities of Ohio and neighboring states. Canton was an early powerhouse, thanks to the likes of Jim Thorpe.

But Canton was drawing crowds long before football. One hundred and thirty years ago, they came to hear a future president.

During the 1896 presidential campaign, some 750,000 people traveled to Canton to hear Republican William McKinley speak from his front porch. That would be a remarkable turnout even today.

McKinley was a hugely consequential president, not least because victory in the Spanish-American War brought Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines under the U.S. flag. His presidency arguably established the U.S. as a world power.

Reelected in 1900, he was assassinated the following year, elevating Theodore Roosevelt to the presidency. Walking through McKinley’s hometown invites an irresistible question. How differently might U.S. history have unfolded had Roosevelt never become president?

The National First Ladies Library & Museum shifts attention to the women behind the 45 men who have held the presidency. It is linked with the First Ladies National Historic Site, which includes Saxton House, the family home of McKinley’s wife, Ida Saxton McKinley.

The antebellum house served as McKinley’s Canton residence during his congressional years. Guided tours take visitors through its restored rooms. (The separate house with the famous front porch was demolished long ago.)

Nearby are several landmark churches, including two with deep connections to McKinley.

The most architecturally significant is St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, founded as a parish in 1869. Historically, Episcopalians had the money to build landmarks, and St. Paul’s is no exception. Completed in 1923, the cathedral-like church is a near-perfect example of Gothic revival. It is especially notable because it would look vastly different had it been built just 25 years later.

Christ Presbyterian Church rivals it in exterior grandeur. Crenellations give the larger church, built in 1912, a castle-like appearance. The original church, where the McKinleys married in 1871, now serves as a chapel.

Within walking distance stands Crossroads United Methodist Church, formerly First Methodist Episcopal. McKinley worshipped here and served as Sunday school superintendent. His funeral was held here on Sept. 19, 1901. Its high Victorian Gothic design is more aesthetic than architectural.

The McKinley trail continues to McKinley Memorial Park and the McKinley National Memorial. Erected by public subscription, the imposing mausoleum is variously described as Beaux-Arts and Classical Revival. Inside, the McKinleys are entombed in sarcophagi.

Next door is the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum. Because his presidency predated the modern presidential library system, this institution, owned and operated by the Stark County Historical Society, has a broader focus.

Alongside exhibits on the president are a planetarium and displays exploring the history of Canton and Stark County. The “Street of Shops” recreates a full-scale streetscape from McKinley’s era, with a general store, blacksmith shop and other businesses bringing everyday history into view.

If you go

I flew into Cleveland, about an hour from Canton, and rented a car. The closest airport, Akron-Canton, is served by several airlines. For drivers, Chicago and Washington are each roughly six hours away, depending on traffic.

Stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton. It has the best location for visiting most sights associated with McKinley.

Eat at Bender’s Tavern, which opened in 1902, the year after McKinley’s assassination. Owned by the Jacob family since 1932, it is the sort of place where the food and atmosphere rival each other. For something different, the Bistro at Gervasi Vineyard Resort & Spa offers upscale dining in a restored 19th-century barn.

Another historic church worth visiting is the Roman Catholic Basilica of St. John the Baptist. Completed in 1871, it would have been a familiar landmark to McKinley, despite his Protestant faith. It was designed by the famed architect James Renwick Jr., best known for St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

Of these churches, only Crossroads was open outside regular services during my visit.

The MAPS Air Museum also deserves a stop for its impressive collection of military aircraft and exhibits on military history. You can even climb into some cockpits. There is a McKinley connection here — admittedly, an indirect one. Although he died two years before the Wright brothers’ first flight, his administration supported early efforts to develop a piloted “flying machine.”

Trip planning resources are available through Visit Canton.

Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post.