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| Hyde Park on the Hudson |
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born and raised at his family's Springwood estate in Hyde Park. He called it "The Center of The World." And, in many ways it became that. He entertained The King and Queen of England - feeding them hotdogs at a picnic on the forested property. He also met with Winston Churchill and Stalin at Springwood to layout WWII plans.
The influential were not limited to Franklin Roosevelt; his wife Eleanor who became the first delegate to The United Nations also had a home at Springwood. JFK also visited Springwood to seek Eleanor's endorsement. You can tour Springwood and the neighboring Vanderbilt home in Hyde Park. These tours will are full and long - and require at least one full day.
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| FDR Bedroom - Springwood - Hyde Park NY |
The FDR Presidential Library is the first presidential library. It is the only library where a sitting president actually had an office from which he worked. It was built as an office and a documents library by FDR at his family's estate, Springwood in Hyde Park NY. Now, it is a full fledged library of historic documents and a museum of history focused on the 4 terms served by FDR.
The Springwood estate encompasses several hundred wooded acres along The Hudson River, the manor house where FDR was born and raised, a number of cottages, stables, and structures, and the FDR museum and library. You can tour two of the houses: The Springwood manor and the properties at Valkill where Eleanor Roosevelt had a cottage and furniture making factory.
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| Valkill Cottage - Springwood - Hyde Park NY |
Your pass to the museum is good for two days, and you will probably need both to do the tours of Springwood and Valkill, and take in all that the museum has to offer. There are several good walking paths and hikes through the Springwood property - and walking the grounds may be the best part of your visit. Don't be shy about bringing a picnic lunch and setting out a blanket on a grassy knoll alongside Valkill.
An additional home and property belonging to The National Park Service is The Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park. It is a few miles North on highway 9. The grounds and home tour at Vanderbilt are a bit more visually stunning than Springwood. The Vanderbilt Mansion is maintained as a monument to The Guilded age. The goal of The Vanderbilts was to live in emulation of European nobles; as American Royalty. So, the display of wealth was of the foremost importance. While not the greatest of The Guilded Age mansions, the grounds at The Hyde Park estate are princely - with sweeping views of The Hudson.
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| Vanderbilt Home - Hyde Park NY |
The natural setting and deep history of the Hyde Park area make for a marvelous encounter with the best that America can be. Regardless of your feelings about the extreme consolidation of wealth on display in The Hudson Valley, The Roosevelts and Vanderbilts had an enormous impact on American and World history ... I think for the better of all classes of people. Enjoy your trip Hyde Park and into a fast-fading era of American might and dominance.
