Tour of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's Hyde Park

Entries on This Tour

1. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

The nation's first presidential library under the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York. Dedicated in June of 1941, the Dutch Colonial style building is located on the same property as his childhood home and grave. FDR believed it would be convenient for all researchers to have his presidential papers and various artifacts from his life housed in one location. Visitors from all over the world trek to this small New York town to view his collection of model ships, gifts received from everyday Americans and heads-of-state, study thousands of papers from his life as well as Eleanor Roosevelt's, view the exhibits, and enjoy many other features. Also on display is the Oval Office desk FDR used as president, something no other presidential library can boast of, and the study he used, as the only sitting president to use his presidential library. Scholars and historians have Franklin Roosevelt to thank for the presidential library system, and it all began here.

2. Springwood, Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site

Springwood was the birthplace and home of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. During his unprecedented four terms in office, Roosevelt visited this Hyde Park estate nearly two hundred times. He held many of his most important meetings and made many of his most consequential decisions and speeches while staying at the home. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt are both buried near the home, which is the centerpiece of the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site which includes the Presidential Library and other sites throughout Hyde Park that were important to the life of the 32nd President of the United States.

3. Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site; "Val-Kill"

The Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, known as Val-Kill, is the only national historic site dedicated to a first lady. When visitors arrive at the simple Dutch Colonial Cottage they are surprised that this was the home that welcomed figures such as Nikita Khrushchev, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and Senator John F. Kennedy. Val-Kill perfectly reflects the personality of its owner, the woman so revered and known as "First Lady of the World." The site consists of two cottages, the Stone Cottage and Val-Kill Cottage, originally a furniture factory which Eleanor converted into a residence in 1938. It was the only home Eleanor Roosevelt owned and she lived there until she passed away in 1962. Since 1977, the site has been owned and operated by the National Park Service and opened to the public in 1984, Eleanor Roosevelt's centennial year.

4. Top Cottage, Franklin Delano Roosevelt

In 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt was making plans for life after the presidency. The war in Europe was not yet raging and FDR was not expecting to serve more than the traditional two terms in office. With the urge to get away from the family's main home in Hyde Park, FDR wanted his own cottage similar to that of Eleanor's at Val-Kill. Designed by the president and architect Henry Toombs, Top Cottage was Roosevelt's vision. From 1939 until his death in 1945, Top Cottage served as not only a get away but a place of international diplomacy, hosting Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Canada, Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, and most famously, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain. In 1940, FDR was elected for the unprecedented third term, then a fourth term in 1944, leaving him little time to retreat to the cottage where he found solace and peace. When he died in April 1945, he had never spent one night in Top Cottage. Top Cottage was occupied by his son Elliott for a few years after FDR's death. In 2001, Top Cottage was finally opened for public tours. Though few original furnishings are on display today at Top Cottage, the cottage is a reminder of what a simple man the aristocratic president from the Hudson Valley really was.

This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.

Tour of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's Hyde Park

Created by Clio Admin on June 2nd 2018, 7:32:03 am.

Get a QR Code for this tour

Description

Hyde Park was home to the Roosevelt family and this New York community is now home to several significant historic sites related to the lives of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, the most influential First Lady in American history. This tour includes the first presidential library created under the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA) as well as the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site and Top Cottage, the site where Franklin Roosevelt hoped to retire.

Entries on This Tour

Tour of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's Hyde Park

Description

Share