Many presidents have visited San Antonio, including Benjamin Harrison in 1891 and William McKinley in 1901. Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt rode through en route to fight the Spanish in Cuba in 1898, and again as president in 1905. Howard Taft visited in 1909, followed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1936 (Heusinger).

Benjamin Harrison's visit marked the first time that an American president had visited San Antonio, which had become one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, thanks to the railroad (Fisher, 61).

1.) Alamo Plaza, looking southwest during the visit of President William McKinley on a tour to garner support for international trade agreements. He was the 25th President of the U.S., serving from 1897 to 1901, until he was shot Sept. 6, 1901, and died on Sept. 14, 1901. The multi-story buildings visible beyond the crowd are (left to right): the Dullnig Building, the Reuter Building, the Opera House, the Wickes Building, and the Crockett Block.

2.) McKinley is standing in the lower right corner of the image, next to the painting of the Alamo (with its framed back to the viewer on the easel) by Verner White. Also note the precarious perch of some viewers: on the telephone pole and atop the Reuter Building.

3.) Professional photographer A. A. Brack took this photo. Note that the sign for his office is visible just to the right of the arched parapet on the Dreiss Building, between the center telephone poles and the smokestack.

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Courtesy of San Antonio Conservation Society Foundation