Buffalo

A favorite site of history buffs, the mansion of Ansley Wilcox became famous on September 14, 1901. It was on that day Wilcox’s friend, Teddy Roosevelt, was sworn in as the 26th president of the United States only hours after President McKinley had died from an infection brought on by an assassin’s bullet at Buffalo’s Pan-American Exposition. The library where Roosevelt was inaugurated has been painstakingly recreated to reflect what it looked like on that September day. The rest of the home is equally interesting and a rare glimpse into how Buffalo’s wealthiest families lived at the turn of the 20th century. Also be sure to check out the recreation of the Oval Office as it would have appeared during Roosevelt’s presidency and the interactive desk that lets you explore legislation of the era.