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Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United
States, was born in 1882 in Hyde Park at Springwood and raised there by his parents. He returned after marrying
his distant cousin Eleanor in 1905. The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site offers visitors the chance to view the Roosevelts’ rare family photographs and furniture, tour their World War II-era victory garden, walk the trails of the estate and visit their Rose Garden grave sites. During his presidency, he built the nearby Dutch Colonial- style Top Cottage as his personal quarters, where he penned his memoirs and met with several world leaders.
Val-Kill at the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site across town is the only National Historic Site dedicated
to a first lady. Here, Eleanor employed local artisans to produce hand-crafted home goods and furniture. She lived in the main stone cottage residence after FDR died until her 1962 death. Today, Val-Kill features a permanent exhibit documenting her rise as a social and political leader.
In 1938, FDR devised the idea of establishing a public repository for the thousands of documents related to his lengthy political career, and in 1941, he opened the nation’s first presidential library adjacent to his home, which has provided the template for subsequent presidential libraries. The engaging and interactive Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum chronicles the lives
of the Roosevelts, including Franklin’s state and national political ascendancy and general life in early-20th-century America. Among the facility’s standout exhibits are a recreation of the secret White House map room with a timeline of World War II battles; FDR’s 1936 Ford Phaeton automobile, which was outfitted with special hand controls for the polio-afflicted president; and replicas of 1930s and ‘40s living rooms and kitchens, where visitors can listen to a recording of one of Roosevelt’s famous fireside chats.
A great way to get a glimpse into the Gilded Age is
with a visit to Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site.
It was the country home of railroad magnate Frederick William Vanderbilt and his wife, Louise. Designed by the renowned architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White
and built between 1896 and 1899, the mansion boasts 54 rooms—including a “gold room” and a grand room—which were outfitted with state-of-the-art electric lighting and indoor plumbing. The estate’s perfectly symmetrical Italian- inspired gardens—which have been restored and are today fastidiously maintained by a staff of volunteers—and the rest of the grounds of the riverside estate are open to the public, free of charge, between sunrise and sunset and offer perfect spots for picnics.
HISTORIC HYDE PARK
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© BILL URBIN NPS