Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

Courtesy of Buffalo as an Architectural Museum

Step back into 1901, after the tragic events leading to the assignation of President McKinley during his visit to Buffalo. He was attending the the Pan Am Expo. In the Temple of Music McKinley was shot twice.Several days after the shooting the nation's 25th president died from gangrene. The Niagara Square is a monument to this devastating act. After the death of McKinley the United States needed a leader. Vice-President, Theodore Roosevelt made his way to Buffalo after McKinley's shooting. 

The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, located at 641 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, is where Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as America’s 26^th President. While it was a time of national mourning, President Roosevelt knew the importance of maintaining the stability of his country and took the Oath of Office.  

The house where the inauguration took place  was once owned by Ansley Wilcox and is often referred to as the Wilcox Mansion by many still today. The building has been restored in four areas covered in the available tours, as well as a permanent exhibit displaying the historic events at the site.

The museum is open year around by guided tours only. Tours are scheduled every hour on the half-hour, beginning at 9:30 a.m. weekdays and 12:30 p.m. weekends. The last tour is at 3:30 p.m. It is recommended that visitors call ahead at (716) 884-0095 on the day of the tour to check availability.

Admission prices for adults are $10.00, $7.00 for seniors, for children 6-18 it is $5.00 and children 5 and under are free.

  

The Roycroft Inn

Courtesy of Bing Images

Designated as a historic landmark in 1986, the Roycroft Inn is one of several buildings located on the campus. It was an area built by Elbert Hubbard as part of a local arts and crafts movement and thrives today as an inn, restaurant and artisan shopping center.

The Roycroft Inn is located in the charming Village of East Aurora at 40 South Grove Street. Walking tours of the inn are available as well as artisan classes and workshops. The Copper Shop Gallery has hand crafted items from over 90 local and national artisans. It contains many unique items that cannot be found at any other shop.

Dining at the Roycroft Inn is an elegant experience among the mission style arts and crafts period décor. For full and current menus including breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner view the website for the inn.

Breakfast is served Monday through Saturday from 7am to 10am. The breakfast menu has selections like French toast, omelets and a daily breakfast special.

 Lunch guests are received from 11:30am to 3pm Monday through Saturday. Multiple choices for soups and salads are accompanied by Panini sandwiches, artisan pizzas and several inn specialties.

 Dinner is served Monday through Thursday from 5pm to 9pm and on Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm until 10pm. Similar to the lunch menu are the soups, starters and salads.  Artisan pizzas are also available. Entrees like Gondola cheese raviolis and seared Ahi tuna are just a few of the dinner choices.

After some shopping at The Copper Shop Gallery and enjoying a marvelous meal, guests can retire to one of the many suites available at the Roycroft.  Rooms start at $140.00 a night if staying in the guest house or upgrade to one of the suites complete with standard whirlpool tub. The suites start at $165.00 a night. For something extra special, the Honeymoon Suite features a double whirlpool tub, as well as queen bed and sitting area. The room runs around $295.00 a night.

For information on classes, events, reservations and detailed room descriptions, visit The Roycroft Inn online or call them at (716) 652-5552 or 1-877-652-5552.

Our Lady of Victory Basilica

Our Lady of Victory Basilica, known in short as OLV Basilica, is located on the corner of Ridge Road and South Park Avenue in South Buffalo. Completed in 1925, Father Baker, the buildings founder and patriarch helped to build this magnificent piece of architecture. The most incredible part is it was debt free after it was built. Father Baker reached out to the community and asked people to buy a brick for $10.00 each. And it worked!

Besides the incredible architecture on the exterior, the interior is even more impressive. Detailed painting, vivid stained glass and white statues that seem to oversee the church and its visitors.

A gas well was found on the site of the Basilica. Local legend has it that Father Baker told the drillers where it would be and even though it was a difficult drilling process the gas well was tapped at an unusual depth. The gas well continues to produce still today and helps to offset the heating costs of the building.

Father Baker didn’t stop with this incredible shrine. He also built a home for unwed mothers and an orphanage for parentless youth. He was often called the “Padre of the Poor” according to many sources, including the OLV website. Tours can be scheduled, but a public tour is held every Sunday at 1:00pm. The building is open from 7am to 7pm and visitors are welcome for free. Call (716) 828-9444 for more information.

Other locations near by the OLV Basilica are South Park and The Buffalo Botanical Gardens. A visit to this area is an entire day of sight-seeing and inexpensive too!

Buffalo's beautiful Forest Lawn Cemetery

In 1849, Charles E. Clarke purchased some land about 2.5 miles outside of the downtown Buffalo area as Buffalo’s population boom created a need for a large cemetery. Forest Lawn appeared to be the perfect location with its hills and trees of what was then considered “the country.”
The city of Buffalo continued to expand and today Forest Lawn sits among bustling intersections, businesses and private residences. The style of the cemetery was modeled after Père-Lachais in Paris, France with a natural landscape adorned by ponds and hills.
Besides the beauty of Forest Lawn, many famous men and women are buried here. Forest Lawn is the resting place of over 155,000 people and continues to expand still today. Millard Fillmore, America’s 13th President is buried here, along with Willis Carrier, the inventor of air conditioning. John Albright is the donor of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and is interned at Forest Lawn. Stop by and visit Rick James, a well-known rock star from the Buffalo area that died in 2004 and is now part of the Forest Lawn population. Louise Bethune was the first American woman architect and designed the Lafayette Hotel. The list of names goes on and on and is clearly designated on the maps available at the gate.
Red Jacket‘s memorial statue stands close to the Delaware entrance of Forest Lawn. A Seneca Indian, Red Jacket lived from 1750 to 1830. The name Red Jacket most likely came from the fondness he had for the red British officer’s coat during the Revolutionary War. After his death he was buried at the Old Indian Cemetery on Buffum Road in Buffalo. His remains were allegedly moved from there to Forest Lawn, but some say his bones never made it there. As the story goes, Red Jacket’s remains were taken to the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, more in accordance with his final wishes. Some say he haunts this spot in Forest Lawn, as reports of an Indian apparition have been frequently reported.
Ghosts, spooks and specters have been reported here as long as anyone can remember. Before it was Forest Lawn Cemetery, it is believed that this was a burial ground for soldiers of the war of 1812. Mass graves were often used because deaths of many occurred every day.
Two separate stories also exist regarding two little girls. The first is a barefoot little child whose sightings have been reported for over 50 years. She apparently disappears just as quickly as she manifested and no one is really sure who she is.
The other sighting is a little girl who is said to be seen at the Delaware entrance of the cemetery. She is known as one of Western New York’s vanishing hitchhikers. It has been said that once she has been picked up by a passerby she vanishes, leaving her ride and driver confused and maybe a little spooked.
Haunted or not, Forest Lawn is a very beautiful place to walk and commune with nature. With a variety of monuments made from marble or stone scattered throughout is just breath-taking. Forest Lawn is located at 1411 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo. The phone number there is (716) 885-1600. Tours are available and entry into the cemetery is free. Call the Forest Lawn office for more information.