
This clip, from the York Gazette on Sept. 17, 1901, tells about how President William McKinley's funeral train passed through York without stopping, which was the original plan. Background posts: McKinley, Nixon, Johnson, Obama family trees have York County roots and Trivia quiz: Test your U.S. presidential smarts quiz and All posts on presidential visits.
The York County Courthouse bell tapped out a signal to the church bells.
President William McKinley's funeral train was on its way from Buffalo, where the assassin's bullet took his life, to a state funeral in Washington, D.C. It would be yet another presidential event touching York County's soil.
The church bells received the cue and began pealing mournfully, and that signaled the stopping of factory wheels and the closing of stores.
The whole town could now go witness the train - and they did.
And they expected the train to stop.
Only the train did not... .



