"History Detectives" Features Louisville Librarian
Metzger, part-time Local History and Reference Librarian at the Louisville Public Library, has a second career: she's also the Librarian at the William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum in Canton (next to the Monument). While working there last November, she received an email question from the producers of the PBS television show History Detectives. They were researching possible stories for their 4th season. A viewer believed he had the flag that had draped President William McKinley's coffin and wanted help confirming that. This was the start of a month-long search through the photo files and archives of the museum's Ramsayer Research Library in an effort to prove or disprove this statement.
Cincinnati resident Shawn Kennedy had been told that his great-grandfather was a personal bodyguard and friend of McKinley and that after the burial, Mrs. McKinley gave the coffin flag to him. Having little to go on other than a name - Charles H. Kennedy - Janet started by checking the city directories and obituary listings for any signs of Kennedy and his family. What she found there and in her photo files of the McKinley funeral were enough to bring the camera crews out to Canton for three days in December.
Filming was done at the McKinley Monument and next-door Westlawn Cemetery as well as the Church of the Savior and Stark County District Library. Janet was interviewed for the episode and had her brief moment of fame when the show aired for the first time on Monday, June 19, 2006 on local PBS stations.
To read more about the program, or to download a transcript of the show, visit the History Dectives website at:
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigations/401_mckinley.htm...
