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New York

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

January 3, 2024 Raven About The Parks 4 Comments

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

New York

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1966

1 acre

Website: nps.gov/thri

Overview

On September 6, 1901, while attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, President William McKinley was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt came by the house (now demolished) where McKinley was recovering and left after being assured he would survive. Roosevelt was hiking the highest peak in the Adirondacks when he was informed that he needed to rush back to Buffalo because the President was dying. Rather than take the oath of office in the house where McKinley died 11 hours before Roosevelt’s arrival, he chose the residence of his friend Ansley Wilcox, which has been preserved as a National Historic Site. Oddly, no photographs were taken at the historic event.

Highlights

Wilcox house, museum, films

Must-Do Activity

The Wilcox house dates back to 1837, when it was built as an officers’ quarters at the U.S. Army’s Poinsett Barracks. The only way inside is on a ranger-guided tour, which you can reserve online in advance (see Fees below). The downstairs has a small, nice museum featuring interactive exhibits, where you will watch the second of three video presentations during your 45-minute tour. It was good enough that we added it to our Top 10 Museums Run by the National Park Service. There is an annual reenactment of the 1901 Inauguration held every September 14.

Best Trail

No trails, but you can walk the sidewalks of Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo and stop by the Bank of America ATM conveniently located next door. Maybe you will find a four-leaf clover like Tiff did (see photo below).

Instagram-worthy Photo

The third video is presented in a small theater upstairs about halfway through the tour and features dramatic lighting and videos highlighting the challenges facing the U.S. in the early 1900s.

Peak Season

Fall

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/thri/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$12 per adult for tour (or America the Beautiful pass and $1 online registration fee for up to 4 adults)

Road Conditions

All roads are paved and a free parking lot is located behind the house on one-way Franklin Street.

Camping

Outside Buffalo, camping is available at Darien Lake, Four Mile Creek, Joseph Davis, and Letchworth State Parks.

Related Sites

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site (New York)

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site (New York)

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site (New York)

Check out our Top 10 Roosevelt Family NPS Sites

Explore More – When was the Wilcox house turned into a restaurant?

List

Top 10 Roosevelt Family NPS Sites

December 27, 2023 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Following our 2023 visit to Buffalo, New York, we realized how many National Park Service (NPS) units revolve around the Roosevelt Family: Presidents Theodore (Teddy) and Franklin (FDR), plus influential First Lady Eleanor. There are dozens of other NPS sites dedicated to former Presidents, so we will have to determine our favorites of those after we finish visiting them all someday. We hope you enjoy our ranking and please let us know your favorite. Click here to see all our Top 10 lists.

10. Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site (New York)

An interesting example of a historic brownstone home in New York City where a wealthy Knickerbocker family resided

9. Catoctin Mountain Park (Maryland)

Camp David is in the middle of this park, which was called Shangri-La by FDR, the first U.S. President to utilize the compound

8. Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (New York)

Many world leaders visited this nondescript former-factory in Hyde Park even after the passing of Eleanor’s husband FDR

7. Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial (District of Columbia)

Teddy used to swim in the Potomac River year round, so it is fitting that his statue stands on this island on its Virginia bank

6. Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site (New York)

A lavish mansion sits above the Hudson River in Hyde Park near Vanderbilt National Historic Site

5. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (District of Columbia)

Instead of one large statue, there are multiple smaller ones portraying FDR’s historically long presidency

4. Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site (New York)

There is an interesting small museum downstairs and interactive exhibits throughout the house in downtown Buffalo where Teddy was sworn in following President McKinley’s death

3. Mount Rushmore National Memorial (South Dakota)

Theodore Roosevelt was the most contemporary and controversial figure carved into Mt. Rushmore, but his legacy has justified his inclusion

2. Sagamore Hill National Historic Site (New York)

Teddy’s mansion on Long Island is a beautiful house full of historic artifacts

…and finally our #1 Roosevelt Family NPS Site:

1. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

We think Teddy would love to visit the only one of the 63 National Parks named for a President, with bison roaming where he once ranched cattle

Honorable Mentions

Roosevelt Campobello International Park (New Brunswick)

Summer home of FDR and Eleanor jointly managed by Parks Canada and the NPS

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (Washington)

The reservoir created by the Grand Coulee Dam in the 1930s was named for FDR

Roosevelt National Forest (Colorado)

Not an NPS site, but named for Teddy who created the U.S. Forest Service during his presidency

Yosemite National Park (California)

Who could forget the famous image of John Muir and Teddy camping in this National Park

Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

One of many National Monuments established during Teddy’s presidency, several of which became National Parks

New York

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site

June 14, 2023 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site

New York

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1944

645 acres

Website: nps.gov/hofr

Overview

In 1882, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was born at Springwood, his family’s estate on the Hudson River in Hyde Park, New York. In 1905, FDR married his distant cousin Eleanor and moved into the mansion with his mother. FDR contracted polio in 1921 and was paralyzed from the waist down, so some changes were made to Springwood to make it more wheelchair accessible. After FDR became President, noteworthy visitors to the house included England’s King George VI and Winston Churchill. FDR was buried on the property in 1945 and Eleanor in 1962, in the rose garden alongside Fala, their famous Scottish terrier. Exactly one year after his death, the mansion opened to the public.

Highlights

Springwood, FDR Presidential Library and Museum, Top Cottage, Hyde Park Trail

Must-Do Activity

Start your visit at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center where you can purchase tickets for the tour inside the mansion (reservations recommended), the 22-minute film A Rendezvous With History, the Presidential Library and Museum (not managed by the National Park Service), and Top Cottage, which is located behind the nearby Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. Tours meet inside the visitor center then walk a quarter-mile to the mansion. Top Cottage was built in 1938 and is only accessible on a guided tour in the summer, which a park ranger discouraged us from going on saying it was mostly a seminar-style discussion of world politics (Top Cottage tours were closed through at least 2022).

Best Trail

Hyde Park Trail connects Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site with Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site following the Hudson River. The trail then heads two miles east towards Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site and Top Cottage.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Freedom From Fear is a sculpture of a man and woman made from a section of the Berlin Wall, installed here in 1994 with a companion piece at the Winston Churchill Memorial in Fulton, Missouri. Both were created by Edwina Sandys, Churchill’s granddaughter.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/hofr/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$10 per person for mansion tour or free with America the Beautiful pass; $10 per person for Top Cottage tour with $5 off for America the Beautiful pass; separate entry fee for FDR Presidential Library and Museum

Road Conditions

All roads are paved with ample parking.

Camping

Mills-Norrie State Park has 45 campsites about five miles north of Hyde Park on Highway 9.

Related Sites

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (District of Columbia)

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (New York)

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site (New York)

Floor inside the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center

Explore More – In what year was there an assassination attempt on FDR?

Kentucky

Camp Nelson National Monument

February 8, 2023 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Camp Nelson National Monument

Kentucky

Managed by National Park Service

Established 2018

525 acres

Website: nps.gov/cane

Overview

Camp Nelson National Monument occupies 525 acres where a Civil War fort was located 20 miles south of Lexington. During the war, Kentucky was technically a Union state so the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 did not apply to the state’s slaves. Many local slaves were impressed by the U.S. Army to build the camp and their owners were compensated for the work. In May 1864, when freedom was offered to any black man to join the United States Colored Troops, thousands of escaped slaves brought their families (who were not granted freedom) to this supply depot, which led to numerous conflicts between refugees and Army officials.

Highlights

Museum, film, Oliver Perry House, barracks, Fort Putnam, Fort Jones, Home for Colored Refugees Site

Must-Do Activity

Unlike many new National Monuments, this one was already developed as the Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park so it has a historical museum, hiking trails, and interpretive film (that made our Top 10 list for NPS films). The Oliver Perry House is the only original structure on site, although a barracks building and the earthworks of Fort Putnam have been reconstructed. A living history weekend is typically held during the summer in the park, which is adjacent to Camp Nelson National Cemetery (see photos below) where hundreds of Civil War soldiers are buried.

Best Trail

There are four miles of trails in Fort Nelson National Monument with numerous interpretive signs and flags placed to identify the former locations of the bakery, prison, stables, Quartermaster Office, and other structures. The Fort Jones/Overlook Trail accesses extensive stone revetment walls that provided defenses for the eastern side of Camp Nelson. There is little shade in this grassy landscape, so come prepared on hot summer afternoons.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Built in 1846, the Oliver Perry House (also called the White House) is the only remaining original structure on site, which served as officers’ quarters.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/cane/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

All roads paved

Camping

There is no campground on site, but there are some nice ones found throughout the Kentucky state parks system and Daniel Boone National Forest (where we recommend Cave Run Lake).

Related Sites

Daniel Boone National Forest (Kentucky)

Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument (Kentucky)

Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

Explore More – When was Army policy changed at Camp Nelson to allow the families of United States Colored Troops to have a mess hall, school, and housing?

Pennsylvania

Grey Towers National Historic Site

April 27, 2022 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Grey Towers National Historic Site

Pennsylvania

Managed by U.S. Forest Service

102 acres

Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/greytowers

Overview

The sole National Historic Site managed by the U.S. Forest Service, Grey Towers was the ancestral home of Gifford Pinchot, the agency’s first director and the twice-elected governor of Pennsylvania. Completed in 1886, the 43-room, L-shaped mansion was built to look like a French château. After Gifford’s father endowed the nation’s first graduate forestry program at Yale, their summer school was held on the property from 1901 to 1926.

Highlights

Mansion tour, Letter Box, Bait Box, Finger Bowl, Pinchot Timeline Trail

Must-Do Activity

We had just visited the three National Park Service sites in Hyde Park, New York before we stumbled upon this spot while driving to Steamtown National Historic Site, so we opted not to take another guided tour (fee) inside a mansion. It was a beautiful September day, so instead we enjoyed an hour walking around and photographing the property while stopping to read the numerous interpretive signs. Our favorite cottage was the Bait Box, a playhouse for Gifford’s son.

Best Trail

There are self-guided interpretive trails around the 102-acre property, including the Pinchot Timeline Trail and Forestry Trail.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The Finger Bowl was a unique outdoor dining area where chairs were pulled up to the edge of a pool that had bowls of food floating on its surface. It sits beneath a beautiful, wisteria-covered arbor.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

The grounds are open daily 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend through October and the gates are locked at 4:30 p.m. the rest of the year. Guided tours (fee) of the home and gardens start every hour on the hour starting at 11 a.m. Thursday through Monday in the summer.

Fees

There is no fee to walk the grounds, but it costs $8 per person to take the tour (50% off with America the Beautiful pass).

Road Conditions

The road to Grey Towers is paved and there is limited handicap parking located much closer to the house than the main parking lot.

Camping

See our blog post on Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area for a list of State Parks and State Forests with campgrounds in the area.

Related Sites

Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River (New York-Pennsylvania)

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site (Pennsylvania)

Steamtown National Historic Site (Pennsylvania)

Nearest National Park

Shenandoah (Virginia)