Name/Title
McKinley Monument Granite Artifact and Storage Box.Entry/Object ID
2010.1.2256Description
This is a small commemorative box used to store a piece of granite from the McKinley Monument in Canton, Ohio. The box measures 1" wide x 1 1/2" tall x 3/4" deep and is made of paper. The outside of the box has a picture of the McKinley Monument adhered to the front. The bottom of the box has the old library number "95.70.148.1" and the letters "L. McK" hand written. The interior of the lid has a photograph of McKinley glued to the inside. The interior of the bottom is plain and contains a piece of granite but lacks the cotton batting which would have protected it. The granite is an irregular shape measuring 1 1/4" in length, and is multicolored in shades of white, black, gray, and beige, and sparkles due to the content of material from which it is made.
We asked Kimberly Kenney, Curator of the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, Canton, Ohio for information on this object and she supplied us with the following:
"One would think that we would have lots of information about those little boxes....however....
What we do know is that they were sold as souvenirs in the tiny gift shop inside the Monument that is now the elevator. There are a variety of types of this souvenir, some marble and some granite, some in boxes and some affixed to a small piece of cardboard, which we assume were made from unused materials that were designated to be part of the Monument but were not needed. We do not have any records of how many were sold, or when they were sold. This has always vexed us!
As far as we know, they were not sold to help fund the construction of the Monument, but were rather a keepsake souvenir after it was opened."Collection
BechtelAcquisition
Accession
2010.1Source or Donor
Mr. BechtelAcquisition Method
Gift/PurchaseCredit Line
BECHTEL