National Historic Sites · New York
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
National Park Service source material · single source. Source dates and reuse information are available beside each field.
Check the official park website for current access, conditions and visitor information.
Introduction
Background: 1
As president, Theodore Roosevelt created protections for ordinary citizens, began regulation of big business, and made the US a major force in international affairs. Yet one of the most important presidencies in America's history nearly didn't happen. See the place where a brief, emotional, and improvised ceremony in Buffalo, NY brought TR into office, and forever altered the nation.
Geography
Designation: 2
National Historic Site
State or territory: 3
New York
Park Map - Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site: 4
Map scope: Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
Map of Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York. The historic site is marked with a green square near the upper right corner of the map. The surrounding area is beige with streets represented by white lines and highways in red.
History and culture
History & Culture: 5
On September 14, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office as the 26th president of the United States in Buffalo, NY. His predecessor, William McKinley, had been shot by an assassin at the Pan-American Exposition on September 6, dying at 2:15 AM on the 14th. Roosevelt, who had hoped to someday rise to the Presidency, would say "It is a dreadful thing to come into the Presidency in this way; but it would be far worse to be morbid about it. Here is the task, and I have got to do it to the best of my ability."
He would leave a lasting impact upon the nation, expanding the powers of the presidency, advocating consumer protection laws and regulation of big business, supporting conservation of the environment, and asserting America's authority abroad. While he had not come into office through a national election, Theodore Roosevelt's presidency would become one of the most important in the history of America, and is one that continues to affect the nation today.
For an eye-witness account of the events surrounding Theodore Roosevelt's Buffalo inauguration, click here.
For the text of Roosevelt's first proclamation to the nation as President, click here.
Excerpts from a speech that Theodore Roosevelt gave in Buffalo, NY in 1893, titled The Duties of American Citizenship
Visitor information
Visitation
Sources & field notes
Source records (9)
Select a numbered reference to open a source card. Retrieval dates describe this edition’s source capture, rather than an independent verification or the date of the underlying information.
Background · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Designation · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
State or territory · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
Park Map - Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site · National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source scope
- Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
- Download
- Official map PDF ↗
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Public domain; NPS map
- Rights
- Public domain; NPS map
History & Culture · National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party material may have separate rights. No images copied.
Physical Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Mailing Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Telephone · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Recreation visits · National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics. Open source ↗
- Information date
- 2025
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Methodology
- NPS reporting unit; annual total is the sum of 12 monthly recreation visit estimates.
- Reporting unit
- Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural NHS
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.