Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - On this Presidents' Day, we are looking at the role Buffalo played in the history of the United States Presidency.
"Buffalo is such a significant city in American history," said Brian Hayden, Director of Communications for the Buffalo History Museum. "You could argue that the road to the White House often went through Buffalo during the 19th century."
The lives of several presidents directly intersected with Buffalo.
"Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland each spent formative years of their lives here. In 1901 at the Pan American Exposition, President William McKinley was assassinated, and Theodore Roosevelt came to Buffalo to take the oath of office.
Hayden said the Museum has an exhibit that reflects the tense days in September of 1901 after President McKinley was shot.
"For a number of days the nation was on edge on whether he was going to survive or not. He ultimately succumbed to his injuries. We actually have the gun on display that Leon Czolgosz used to assassinate President McKinley. That was in the Temple of Music which is where Fordham Drive in Buffalo is located today. We also have the handkerchief that Czolgosz used to conceal the gun and some of the surgical instruments that were used on McKinley."
In terms of structures that still remain from the Pan Am Exposition, The History Museum is the last remaining landmark. It served as the New York Building during the exposition.
"Most of the exposition buildings, no matter how magnificent they looked in black and white photos, they were not intended to last. Most were demolished in the winter following the exposition," added Hayden.
The Museum is chronicling many of those moments with this week's Presidential-palooza exhibit.
Artifacts range from the morbid to the obscure.
Among the items, a piece of wedding cake from Grover Cleveland's 1886 White House wedding to Buffalonian Frances Folsom.
How in the world has a piece of wedding cake been preserved for nearly 140 years?
"It was similar to a piece of fruitcake that was served at the reception," said Hayden. "It was heavily steeped in alcohol. That's the only reason it remains. It is not recommended for consumption," he added.
The piece of cake is in a display case with other presidential artifacts. It is only on public display for a short time.