Explore Sagamore Hill and Theodore Roosevelt’s Historic Estate

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4 hours ago

Have you ever wondered what, exactly, brought about the end of the Gilded Age?

Look no further than our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, who was inaugurated in 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley, and pivoted the US away from its laissez-faire business traditions and toward the Progressive Era.

However, Roosevelt’s home, Sagamore Hill — nicknamed the Summer White House during his presidency — was built in 1884, smack in the middle of the Gilded Age.

The Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Oyster Bay, New York, encompasses Roosevelt’s home, his son’s house (now a museum), a nature trail, a pet cemetery, and acres of land.

The park is free to enter, though you can pay $15 for a guided tour of Roosevelt’s home. During my visit, I roamed the property, its museum, and its nearby beach, but I’ll be back when the weather is warmer, giving me a glimpse of the home and its surroundings in their full glory.

Here’s what it’s like to visit the Summer White House and its expansive surrounding estate.

I drove out to Oyster Bay, a town on Long Island, to visit the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, the home of President Theodore Roosevelt.

Sagamore Hill is around 38 miles outside New York City.

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sagamore hill on google maps — Sagamore Hill is around 38 miles outside New York City.

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It’s free to visit Sagamore Hill, which contains the Roosevelt Museum, a nature trail, Roosevelt’s home, beach access, and more.

It was established as a National Historic Site in 1962.

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During Roosevelt’s presidency, he spent his summers at Sagamore Hill, which was nicknamed the Summer White House.

Roosevelt was president from 1901 to 1909.

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Now, it’s a historic site open to the public.

The park is around 83 acres.

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The museum is located in the Old Orchard House, which was built on the estate in 1938.

That’s Old Orchard in the distance, named for its location on the former orchard.

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It was the home of Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the president’s eldest son. He died in 1944, shortly after becoming the oldest general to storm the beaches on D-Day.

The Theodore Roosevelt Museum at Old Orchard.

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Theodore Jr. and his wife, Eleanor, purchased the land for Old Orchard from his family after they “tired” of living in rented homes.

The museum, like the park, is free to enter.

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It has 12 rooms, making it smaller than his childhood home atop the hill but more than enough for their four children.

The back of Old Orchard.

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The home has since been turned into a museum for Roosevelt.

The museum takes over the entire first floor.

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The upstairs is closed to the public, but the first floor is filled with Roosevelt facts and memorabilia.

Roosevelt himself died before this house was constructed.

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The museum goes through Roosevelt’s entire life.

This display goes over his early life, growing up in New York.

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One of Roosevelt’s famed Rough Riders uniforms, custom-designed by Brooks Brothers, is on display.

The Rough Riders were a volunteer cavalry led by Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War.

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The hat and pin Roosevelt wore to President McKinley’s funeral are there, too. McKinley’s death led to Roosevelt, his vice president, becoming the youngest president ever at 42.

McKinley was assassinated in 1901 by an anarchist, Leon Czolgosz.

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Part of Roosevelt’s legacy was his dedication to preserving land. A display of junior park ranger badges from across the US honors his love of nature.

Roosevelt was instrumental in preserving and protecting land for future generations.

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Of course, the museum also has a gift shop.

There’s national parks memorabilia, books about Roosevelt, and more.

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Behind the museum is the entrance to a 0.7-mile loop trail that leads to the beach.

A view of Old Orchard from the back.

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The surrounding forest is filled with oak and hickory trees.

This path got pretty steep at some points.

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The trail leads to a boardwalk across a salt marsh to Cold Spring Harbor. A boardwalk in some form has been here since 1888, when Roosevelt built one for his family.

This boardwalk crosses Eel Creek, a tidal salt marsh.

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During their time here, there were bath houses, a floating dock, and rowboats.

Roosevelt was an avid seaman.

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Now, it’s just a peaceful beach.

The water was quite still, almost like a pond.

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I hiked back to check out more of the grounds. These structures are from when Sagamore Hill was a functioning farm, from 1885 to 1948.

These structures were built in the early 1900s.

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Inside the former chicken coop, there’s information about the farm’s history, including images from the Roosevelt family’s personal archive.

The structure was a chicken coop.

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I walked toward Roosevelt’s house. I passed what was once a working windmill — Roosevelt once cut open his head while trying to repair it.

His wife only asked him to stop bleeding all over the carpet.

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Finally, I came to Sagamore Hill. It was built in 1884 for Roosevelt and his first wife, Alice, but she died the same year, and Roosevelt left New York for years to grieve.

Sagamore Hill.

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He returned for good after he remarried in 1886. Roosevelt and his second wife, Edith, remained married until his death in 1919.

The home was built in the Queen Anne style.

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The Latin phrase “Qui plantavit curabit” is etched over the front door. It means “He who planted will sustain.”

It’s the Roosevelt family motto.

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The house was designed by architects Lamb & Rich.

They designed buildings across the northeastern US.

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A 22-year-old Roosevelt purchased the land on which Sagamore sits in 1880. He paid $30,000 for 155 acres, or roughly $1 million today.

The house has a wraparound porch.

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He lived here with his family until his death. During the seven years of his presidency, it became known as the Summer White House.

This bench looked a little worse for wear.

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Peace talks during the Russo-Japanese War were held here. Roosevelt would later win the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the conflict.

He was the first statesman to be given the honor.

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A memorial for Roosevelt’s youngest son, Quentin, is on the property. A pilot, he was shot down during World War I, making him the only child of a US president to die during combat.

Quentin Roosevelt died in 1918 in France. His brother, Theodore Jr., would also die in France 26 years later, during World War II.

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The day before Roosevelt died in 1919, he told his wife, “I wonder if you will ever know how much I loved Sagamore Hill.”

Roosevelt died in January 1919. He was 60.

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After visiting, I understood why. It must’ve been a peaceful respite for Roosevelt, a true outdoorsman. I’ll be coming back when the trees are green and flowers are blooming.