Crossroads United Methodist Church is a historic

Methodist church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...

. Originally the First Methodist Episcopal Church, it was renamed Church of the Savior United Methodist in 1968. Then in 2014, after its congregation was merged with Saint Paul's United Methodist Church, it was renamed Crossroads United Methodist Church. It was built in 1881 in a High Victorian Gothic style. The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1979.

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

, 25th President of the United States, was an active member of the church. He served as a Trustee and Sunday School superintendent. His funeral was held here September 19, 1901. Thomas Edison recorde
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of McKinley's funeral including the body leaving the church. The service was attended by the new President Theodore Roosevelt and a large delegation of Senate and House members and U.S. Supreme Court justices. The Congressional party filled the entire east section of the pews and the rear half of the two central sections. Generals and admirals in full dress uniform served as the honor guard and occupied the first pew on either side of the center aisle. President Roosevelt and the Cabinet - dressed in black, including black gloves - sat in the second pew of the east side of the center aisle. The fourth pew from the front, which had always been reserved for President McKinley, was draped in black and remained vacant. The Sunday school area and the balcony were filled by citizens and representatives of organizations. This included the Twenty-Third Ohio Regiment, which brought tattered battle flags they carried during the Civil War. After a procession through the city, McKinley's body was brought to the church as of Beethoven's Grand Funeral March was played on organ. The service began at 2 p.m. with a quartet singing "

Beautiful Isle of Somewhere "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" is a song with words by Jessie Brown Pounds and music by John Sylvester Fearis, written in 1897. The song gained huge popularity when it was used in William McKinley's funeral. It was subsequently a staple at funera ...

" and then a prayer and invocation by Rev. O.B. Milligan, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church where the McKinleys had been married. Other pastors offering prayers were Dr. John A. Hall of Trinity Lutheran Church and Rev. E. P. Herburck. The 24-minute eulogy was given by Rev. C.E. Manchester. He said in part: "''Our President is dead. The silver cord is loosed, the golden bow is broken, the pitcher is broken at the fountain, the wheel broken at the cistern.....We can hardly believe it. We had hoped and prayed, and it seemed that our hopes were to be realized and our prayers answered, when the emotion of joy was changed to one of grave apprehension. Still we waited, for we said, 'It may be that God will be gracious and merciful unto us.' It seemed to be us that it must be His will to spare the life of one so well beloved and so much needed. Thus , alternating between hope and fear, the weary hours passed on. Then came the tidings of defeated sciences, of the failure of love and prayer to hold its object to the earth. We seemed to hear the faintly muttered words, "good-by, all; good-bye. It's God's will. His will be done,' and then "Nearer, My God, to Thee. Bishop I.W. Joyce of Minneapolis offered another prayer and the then the audience joined in singing of the hymn that McKinley had spoken on his deathbed "

Nearer, My God, to Thee "Nearer, My God, to Thee" is a 19th-century Christian hymn by Sarah Flower Adams, which retells the story of Jacob's dream. Genesis 28:11–12 can be translated as follows: "So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because t ...

." Father Valtman, Chaplain for the Twenty-ninth Infantry, offered a final benediction before the coffin was taken up as the church organ played and borne from the church for the procession to

West Lawn Cemetery West Lawn Cemetery is in Canton, Ohio, adjacent to the McKinley National Memorial. It was the original resting place of William McKinley until his memorial was built, and has graves of other notable Cantonians. History Bezaleel Wells, Canton' ...

. The body was led by the military guard in a double line from the entrance to the hearse. President Roosevelt and the Cabinet followed arm in arm followed by McKinley's relatives.

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*{{official, https://www.crossroads120.org United Methodist churches in Ohio Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Gothic Revival church buildings in Ohio Churches completed in 1881 Churches in Canton, Ohio Churches in Stark County, Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Stark County, Ohio 1881 establishments in Ohio Methodist Episcopal churches in the United States Presidential churches in the United States