The Board of Trustees of the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum are currently seeking funding to complete a Sword Restoration Project at the McKinley National Memorial which will outline the shape of the Long Water that was part of the original design. Three anonymous donors have given $75,000 towards the $85,000 project. The Museum is seeking an additional $10,000 to complete this project.
After William McKinley’s funeral in September 1901, a group of his closest friends and advisors met to discuss an appropriate tribute to the assassinated president. The McKinley National Memorial Association, a private organization, was formed to conduct a national competition for designs. The members chose the design submitted by architect Harold Van Buren Magonigle. After successfully raising enough funds to begin construction, the McKinley National Memorial was built between 1905 and 1907.
Magonigle’s original design included a reflecting pool called the “Long Water,” which was part of the symbolism of the site as seen from an aerial view. According to The McKinley Monument by Christopher Kenney, “Magonigle envisioned the Monument at the center of a large cross, representing the cross of a martyred President. The approach roads, ‘Long Water,’ and the main flight of stairs form the southern arm of the cross. Smaller flights of stairs create the eastern and western arms, and the northern arm is outlined by a straight driveway. That cross would also form the handle of a sword, symbolizing McKinley’s military career and his role as Commander-in-Chief during the Spanish-American War. The blade of the sword was formed by what was called the ‘Long Water,’ a 575-foot lagoon made up of five different levels, each 20 inches higher than the one before. The water cascaded down and ended in a reflecting pond, built by Ed Landor of Canton.”
The Long Water never functioned as Magonigle intended. In the 1950s, it was removed, filled in, and landscaped. Using the original blueprints, Motter & Meadows has drafted plans to recreate the outline of the sword using concrete.
Donations can be sent to:
Sword Restoration Project
McKinley Presidential Library & Museum
800 McKinley Monument Dr NW
Canton OH 44708
