Hyde Park, New York

Springwood is the home of the Roosevelt's along the Hudson River in Hyde Park. The Roosevelt fortune came from sugar imports, and rum and opium production going back before the civil war.   
Franklin Roosevelt grew up here and returned as often as his responsibilities would allow.  He was taught at home by tutors and matriculated at Harvard, graduating in 1904.  He married Eleanor, a distant cousin, the following year. 

Eleanor was born in New York City.  Her mother died when she was 8 and her father when she was 9.  She moved in with her grandparents and went off to boarding school in England at 15. Eleanor never received a diploma nor went to college, but along with her certificate from the boarding school, she came back to the United States confident, with a thirst for knowledge, and a sincere desire to support social justice.  These three attributes served Eleanor and the American people well throughout her public life.

The Presidential Library / Museum here was built during FDR's third term.  He had received so many letters and had many important presidential papers he felt should preserved for the American people, so he designed the building based on Dutch architecture and raised private funds to the building.  It is the first Presidential Library and on the only one built during while the president was still in office.  It also set the precedent for the National Archives to obtain the president's papers when he (she) leaves office.  Prior to Roosevelt, the presidents would take their papers home with them.  The National Park District runs museum and researchers are afforded access to the archives on the upper level of the library.

The museum provides a timeline for President Roosevelt's political and family life, his modified car which allowed him to drive without needing his legs, a fascinating collection of model ships he built throughout the years, and of course facts, videos, letters, artifacts from WWII.  When you enter the foyer of the library/museum there are letters from all over the world that were sent to FDR.  Some were in response to specific radio broadcasts, others seeing help or thanking him for his leadership. 

One of the letters I read said that they had only known presidents by their photos in newspapers. He wanted to tell FDR that since his family listened to him every week, they felt that they knew him, he was one of their family.  

Franklin shared not only the good things that were happening on his radio addresses, but he also talked to Americans about the problems they were facing.  I'm sure you have heard a clip from his first inaugural, address, "The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."  In speaking plainly to the American public, they had no need to fear because they were informed and they had confidence in FDR's leadership.  He used his "bully pulpit" to rally the nation behind the war effort selling bonds and collecting rubber and tin pots.

One of the exhibits in the museum is a dining room with an old radio.  You sit at the dining room table and push a button to hear one of FDR's broadcasts, then you push another button to hear lettered responses from people who had listened to that message. It was intriguing to hear their letters, not all were favorable. 

The Roosevelt's were both very concerned about social justice.  Franklin got elected during the depression on the platform of the New Deal, his plan to add jobs, stimulate the economy, reform the banks and stock markets, fund home mortgages, institute unemployment insurance and provide social security for retired Americans.  He built dams, bridges, highways, government buildings, and national parks.  He was out in the public, visible, doing what he could to make their lives better. 

Very few people knew he had polio and was unable to walk unaided.  All the reporters who followed him knew the if they wanted access to him, they need to keep his secret.  He wore braces on his hips and legs that would keep them straight.  When he moved his shoulders forward, first one side, then the other, his legs would move along too.  He need crutches or his cane to hold him up. At home, he used a wheel chair to move between the rooms.  It was custom made from the top part of a kitchen chair and bicycle parts for the wheels (below).  

One of the most interesting letters in the museum was written by Albert Einstein regarding the Atomic Bomb. You can click on it to see this original letter.  Roosevelt died before the bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Truman was president and ordered them to be deployed, but it was Roosevelt who sat with Einstein and Churchill at Springwood in his study to make plans for the Manhattan project.  They didn't include Stalin in the talks, but Stalin did learn of it through his spys.

Here is the car the FDR had modified so he could drive it without using his legs.

Here are the four freedoms President Roosevelt promised the nation:  Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear.

There is a wing in the museum dedicated to Eleanor.  This is the only Presidential Library that has dedicated space for the First Lady.

Below are photos of Val Kill - the home FDR designed and built for Eleanor.  She lived there when Franklin was not in town.  She slept on a porch on the second floor unless the winters got too cold. There was no air conditioning in the house and the screened windows provided relief from the heat.  At Val Kill she also spent 10 years running a furniture and pewter industry company teaching the farmers a skill they could use to help supplement their income.  Tables, chairs, and pewter pieces are still selling at auctions and on E-bay.  Val Kill was an idyllic place where the family would gather for parties and recreation.  There is an outdoor pool, tennis, fishing, boating, and plenty of green space for the children to play.

This is Val Kill (kill means water or stream in Dutch)

This once was the Val Kill Industries shop, located next to the Val Kill House:

Below are buildings in back of the Springwood House - the play house for the children and the stables.

The Roosevelts were hard working dedicated people.  They both came from wealth, but didn't sit back and just live the lifestyle of the rich and famous.  They were truly civil servants.  

Franklin was our only 4 term president.  When his friends and family asked him to not run for the fourth term knowing he wasn't well, he said he still has things he needs to do for the country.  The country did need him and his leadership.  Those public work projects brought electricity to Tennessee farmers.  There were post offices built.  The Chicago subway system was one of his projects.  All across the country men and women were put to work on building the infrastructure of our nation.  We are still reaping the benefits of his programs today.  In 2008 when unemployment was high, people were able to get some money to help them out.  Social Security checks paid my mom's bills when my dad died.  Some people may think that these social services are are a drain on the economy.  I think they are a right of the republic.  

FDR was a great man, married to a strong woman leader in her own right.  Eleanor traveled 40,000 miles during the her married life visiting farmers, coal mines, and foreign countries.  She was her husband's legs, seeing and reporting on the status of his projects.  They were the right people at the right time for our country.  

Every day I am in awe of this wonderful nation.  We are so damn fortunate.  This is such a beautiful country.  I loved driving through the mountains in New York yesterday on my way to Hyde Park and today sitting by the Hudson River.  I am steeped in the historical mire and having the time of my life.  

On a side note.  I want to visit Montreal later this month and a few days before the trip I noticed that my passport had expired.  I went to the Oak Brook post office and requested an expedited renewal.  Thanks to my sister Mary Ellen and my friend Joann, my new passport arrived today at my hotel.  I am very grateful for their kindness.  THANK YOU!