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Contact: Todd Arrington, 440-255-8722, x1238
The National Park Service staff of James A. Garfield National Historic Site is pleased to announce a special program taking place at the Mentor site at 12 p.m. on Saturday, September 16. Park Guide Tara Bostater of Canton’s First Ladies National Historic Site will be on hand to present A Medical Journey: 1800s Medical Practices through the Eyes of the McKinleys.
The presentation will immerse attendees in the eras of the Garfields and the McKinleys, two families tragically affected by assassination and questionable medical care. Visitors will learn more about the medical practices and advancements of the age, including some of those experienced by the Garfield and McKinley families. Topics such as Civil War amputations and disease and grave robbing by medical schools will be discussed.
“Presidents Garfield and McKinley were both shot by assassins at close range and survived their initial injuries,” said Todd Arrington, Site Manager of James A. Garfield National Historic Site. “Both men also got some questionable medical care and ultimately died of infections, not bullet wounds. This program is obviously relevant here, and we appreciate the opportunity to host one of our fellow National Park Service employees from another park to make this presentation.”
James A. Garfield National Historic Site is located at 8095 Mentor Avenue (U.S. 20) in Mentor, Ohio, approximately 25 miles east of Cleveland. The site offers guided tours of the Garfield home, museum exhibits, two outdoor cell phone tours, and an introductory film. The National Park Service completely restored the house in the late 1990s, making it one of the most impressive presidential homes preserved for the public.
Last updated: September 11, 2023