Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt 26th President of the United States (1901-1908)

TR sites that I have seen:

Home Sagamore Hill NHS Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY 

TR DC homes         
                                    

 Theodore Roosevelt Inaguaral site Buffalo, NY

TR's Presidential Retreat "Pine Knot" Keene, VA

                                     

 TR Gravesite at Youngs Memorial Cemetery Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY

My nephew Chris and I on the porch of TR's Sagamore Hill home. The porch railing is missing in front of us so that Teddy and family could more easily mount their horses.

A picture of the inside of Sagamore Hill. We weren't allowed to take pictures but I found this one online.

My kids enjoy some time on Theodore Roosevelt's porch on our July 2017 revisit

The Theodore Roosevelt museum at Sagamore Hill is at "Old Orchard". Which was the home of Theodore Roosevelt Jr and his family.

TR Jr's Old Orchard Home. Now a museum for his father.

The next few pictures are at the TR Museum in Old Orchard at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.

Uniform used by TR when he served as a Colonel during the Spanish American war

The gun on the left was recovered from the wreckage of the USS Maine. The Maine's explosion is what caused the United States to go to war with Spain in the Spanish American War. The gun was given to TR and he used it in battle when he fought in the war as a Colonel of the Rough Riders. The gun was stolen twice, the first time it was found in the yard of Sagamore Hill. The 2nd time it took several years to recover it. I learned about this story on the History channels Brad Meltzer's Lost History.  Of course I saw the episode after I returned from Sagamore Hill. So skimming through my pictures I was happy to find that I did get a picture of it.

TR and McKinley

Hat wore by TR at McKinley's funeral

Speak softly and carry a big stick

TR's Nobel Peace prize he earned by helping to negotiate peace between Japan and Russia.

   I have visited Sagamore Hill twice now. First in June 2012 and again in July 2017. On the first trip we weren't able to tour the house since they had just undergone a 3 year renovation. The second trip we were able to tour, then took our time exploring the TR museum there also. It was an amazing site that I'm glad that I was finally able to take in properly.

One of TR’s DC homes, he lived here from 1891-1895





Seen while on a DC President homes walking tour






Another one of TR’s DC homes. He lived here while serving as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under McKinley

Wilcox Mansion. TR's Inaugural site March 2018

Statue of TR in the yard of the Wilcox Mansion

Me at the Wilcox Mansion in March 2018

Inside the room in which TR first took the oath of office

TR took the oath of office standing by this table

My wife and I in the room in which TR was Inaugurated

Table in which TR wrote his first Presidential Proclamation

Just a few months into his second term, William McKinley visited the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, NY. During the exposition McKinley was shot. Vice President Roosevelt hurried to Buffalo only to find that President McKinley had died from his wounds. TR was then sworn in as President here at the Wilcox Mansion.

    I found out about Pine Knot in a book on Presidential Homes and Museums that I got a couple of years ago. It is south of Charlottesville, Virginia, not far from Jefferson's Monticello and Monroe's Ash Lawn Highland. This is where TR came a few times as President to get away from Washington for awhile. His wife Edith bought the bare bones farmers work cottage for him, after seeing how it fit his rustic character. The Roosevelt's visited here 8 times during there time in the White House. All of TR's children, except Alice, visited here at least once. From Washington it was a 4 hour train ride, plus about 10 miles of horse back or carriage to get the the cabin.

    I had to call ahead and arrange a time in advance for someone to meet us at Pine Knot to take the tour. I was under the impression that my group of 6 was the only one's but as it was, about 10 other people showed up. They let us in and pretty much let us walk around as we wanted and asked any questions that we may have.

    backside of Pine Knot

    My son Nicky getting some rest next to TR's fireplace

      Khloe, Grant and I in TR's upstairs bedroom

    Archie's spring, is where the Roosevelt's got their water. Since there was no plumbing to the cabin. Or electricity for that matter

   TR actually allowed a family of squirrels to live in the upstairs of the house

   Beautiful area around Pine Knot

My kids and I at the gravesites of  Theodore Roosevelt's parents and first wife Alice. Greenlawn Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY

Christ Church in Oyster Bay, NY. The church in which Theodore Roosevelt's funeral was held.

Inside Christ Church

My first glimse of TR's grave

After we visited Sagamore Hill on our 2012 trip, we went down to see TR's gravesite. But the gate was locked. I was able to find my way through a nature preserve and up a steep hill and got about 10 feet away from TR's gravesite. I considered jumping the fence, but my wife was freaking out a bit since the local cops passed by a couple of times. So we would leave and continue the trip. After seeing Grant's Tomb later that day, and Grover Cleveland's grave the next day, I had officially seen every Presidential Gravesite. But it ate at me that I didn't get a better view of TR's grave. So I rearranged my weeks itinerary and returned to Long Island on that Thursday, this time the gate was open.

TR and I in June 2012

My kids and I at TR's gravesite in July 2017. On a bright day

Theodore Roosevelt was the first accidential President to be elected to a term in his right. Setting a precedent for future accidential Presidents Calvin Coolidge, Harry S. Truman, and Lyndon B. Johnson. TR goes down in history as one of our greatest Presidents. He became a trust buster, setting new laws for big business to abide by. He made laws guaranteeing clean water, clean meat packing and helped preserve some of the great natural landmarks of our country. He died in 1919.