Oct 21, 2019 FDR Museum, Hudson Valley

Monday, October 21

48 degrees at 6:45AM this morning, as we get an early start.  We've decided to aim for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presdential Library and Museum near Poughkipsee NY, in the Hudson River valley.  Heavy traffic and slow going through Boston. Then we catch the Mass Pike

  with occasional nice colors, but most is past peak. We travel west to the Taconic Highway, a nice truck-free freeway that goes south.   Some areas have heavy fog - looks like we are in the Smokies!

We arrive at the FDR site about 9:30 and watch a short film "Rendezvous with History" while we wait for a 10:15 tour of the FDR home.

The floor of the lobby of the Welcome Center is a mosaic that shows the Roosevelt properties around Hyde Park, nearly 1600 acres.

We walk to the home where FDR was born in 1882.

 He was tutored here for his first 14 years and then went to Groton Prep school and on to Harvard.   He married Eleanor, a distant cousin, in 1905 and fathered 6 children with her, one of whom died as an infant.  When they returned to live here, two wings were added to the original house.

We tour most of the home which contains many of the original furnishings, including Eleanor's bedroom,  Franklin's bedroom, and Franklin's mother's bedroom (between the two)!

They had separate rooms after FDR contracted polio in 1921 at the age of 39.  There is an elevator that was pulled up with a rope - like a dumb waiter.

The guide tells us that the Roosevelts went to great lengths to hide FDR's lower body.  He had great upper body strength and was able to walk short distances, basically carrying his useless lower limbs, in order to appear more healthy and able.  At that time, disability of body was often associated with mental disability, so they avoided that appearance whenever possible.  This is the car specially designed for him so that he could be seen driving.

The coach house and stables, built in 1886 are nearby, as are the lovely gardens where both Franklin and Eleanor are buried.

The FDR Museum is the first presidential museum in the US and the only one that an active President helped to establish.

 It primarily it traces world events during his unprecedented four terms, beginning with the Great Depression.

This is FDR's study which he used often when working on the library.

There is also some information about Eleanor and her influence and involvement in the world events. She was an early proponent of racial equality and actually had threats to her life because of it, as well as a hefty FBI file.

The Four Freedoms - Freedom from Want,  Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, and Freedom from Fear were the cornerstone of his initial successful campaign.   His New Deal provided aid and employment to many with public works programs like  the CCC.  Thousands of trees were planted to combat the dust bowl conditions. Social Security was another touch stone.

His friendship with Winston Churchill  is highlighted in this garden which also shows a part of the Berlin Wall.

  Japan's attack at Pearl Harbor made US involvement in WWII unquestionable.  WWII really boosted the sagging US economy and there are some who wonder if FDR's programs would have succeeded without the war.

After the museum, we drove a few miles to Val-Kill Cottage and Stone Cottage.

Val-Kill was started by Eleanor and a few of her friends to help the local economy.  Local people were employed to build furniture, metalwork and weaving.   After the war, the business closed, but Eleanor converted the cottage to a home - an escape for her and family, and after FDR's death it became her permanent home where she died in 1962.

The day is mostly gone, so we decide to spend the night at Resort World Casino in Monticello, New York - the southern edge of the Catskills.

We have a nice dinner and Beth makes her usual donation.