Hyde Park, NY, FDR Presidential Library & Museum
Hyde Park, New York is the perfect autumn road trip from Northeast Ohio. We stopped here in October on our way to Bar Harbor, Maine. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Presidential Library & Museum and Vanderbilt Mansion were on our list. FDR once wrote, “All that is within me cries out to go back to my home on the Hudson River.” Springbrook was a typical old-money home, modest, when one considers what this family could afford, yet carefully designed to impress. FDR grew up and lived at Springbrook. This was his father and mother’s Estate and also the place where he spent significant time with his own family. While his doting mother, Sara, was away on vacation, FDR dedicated a portion of this Estate upon which to build his presidential library. FDR, Eleanor and Sara are all buried on the grounds of the Estate.
The story of FDR and his presidency is portrayed brilliantly throughout the home, the library and museum, and the entire grounds. At least two days should be spent reviewing all of the memorabilia and area. The best part of the tour is Top Cottage. Top Cottage is a Dutch style, stone cottage. It is not the cottage itself which is so noteworthy, it is the stories associated with Top Cottage that make it so special. FDR was stricken with polio prior to becoming president and was left paralyzed as a result. He built the cottage on the top of a hill in an area near Springbrook as a retreat from his everyday life. Legend has it that the spot was chosen because it was a favorite place where he played as a young boy.
The first reason Top Cottage was interesting, is because it was designed by FDR to accommodate his wheelchair. FDR spent his entire presidency devising ways to conceal his paralysis, even within Springbrook when visitors would be present. But at Top Cottage he was free to move about his house in his wheelchair. He could let his hair down, so to speak. He was delighted to be able to sit on the large porch overlooking the Catskills, and serve toast and tea to his guests. His guests were people such as King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Winston Churchill. There is a story which tells how during an official visit in 1939, FDR served hot dogs to the King and Queen on the porch of Top Cottage. The Queen was overheard asking how to eat a hot dog and FDR proudly explained, but the Queen opted to use a knife and fork. During the Top Cottage tour, visitors have access to walk through the living room and sit on the back porch while the Park Ranger describes the historic events which took place here.
During the Ranger's presentation, he passed around a photo book showing FDR and his guests sitting in the same places we were sitting. At the time FDR was meeting with his guests, Germany was about to invade England. Later, after the United States entered the war, when FDR met with Winston Churchill at Top Cottage, their discussions included subjects such as the Manhattan Project. On the day we visited, it was a crisp, autumn evening as Jamie and I sat on the porch with a few other guests, and Ethan played with his trains and some rocks on the porch, and even ran through the yard. Top Cottage is unpretentious, sturdy and welcoming, much like FDR; the robust, privileged and affluent man who truly cared about providing for those who had too little.
My favorite quality of FDR is that he was a man of action. Nothing got in his way. Those who knew him best always commented on how he never felt sorry for himself. Polio could have ruined him, since FDR lost the use of his legs before running for president. But even something this dire did not prevent him from pursuing his dream. This is a remarkable feat, especially, at a time when the most minor physical deformity was seen as a great weakness. FDR did not dwell on his physical limitations, he improvised and accomplished things despite them. It is known that FDR was sometimes seen sitting in a contemplative mood, with a look of great sadness on his face, but once he realized someone was watching, he would immediately perk up and put on that devil-may-care smile for which he was known. In my opinion, FDR’s amazing character can be summed up by my favorite quote of his: “It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something."
FDR was crippled by polio and though he was physically limited in what he could do, it was the limitless strength of his character that enabled him to carry the weight of the world during his three terms as president. FDR was the right man at the right time, not just for America, but for the world.
