Sagamore Hill National Historic Site

22Sep19

Over the past several years I have read several books about Theodore Roosevelt.

From David McCullough’s “Mornings on Horseback” to Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “The Bully Pulpit” and “The River of Doubt” by Candice Millard, each tells a specific story about one of our greatest presidents.

So I know a little bit about Roosevelt, his family and the trials and tribulations he faced in his larger than life – well life.

It was with anticipation that I traveled near the end of my nearly two-week trip along the East Coast to Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. Situated on Long Island, this was Roosevelt’s home. It was where his children grew up, where he engineered his political triumphs and where he ultimately died too young.

Sagamore Hill is a rambling 23-room Victorian structure. According to the park ranger who led my tour, little has changed from when it was Roosevelt’s home. Most of the furnishings are original pieces owned by the Roosevelt family – everything from Roosevelt’s hunting trophies, books, paintings, flags, hunting guns and furniture.

One of my favorite furnishings was a stuffed head of a bull moose with a TR’s sword from the Spanish American War adorned on it. Our ranger guide said legend has it that when Roosevelt returned from the war he placed the sword on the moose’s antlers and it has been there ever since.

The first floor is more the public space of the house including a dining room and library and the spacious north room where many of Roosevelt’s artifacts are located. The second floor was the family’s private space.

Included here are bedrooms, the nursery, guest rooms and a room with a great porcelain bathtub. The children’s bedrooms contain artifacts from the Roosevelt kids. It was on this part of the tour I learned more about the president’s kids including Quentin, who was killed while serving as a World War I fighter pilot in France, and Theodore, Jr., who was general who landed with the first wave on D-Day during World War II.

The Roosevelt house is located a fair distance from the visitor center, which resides in a house built for Theodore, Jr. in 1937. The Roosevelt Museum at Old Orchard is included in this structure and includes wonderful exhibits and films about TR’s political career, family life at Sagamore Hill and his children’s lives.

There are several other buildings throughout the estate, but these are the two to tour. The rest are typical outbuildings of the time including a garden shed, stable and carriage house. You can also take a short hike on a nature trail from the Visitor Center to Cold Spring Harbor.

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  Leave a Comment