The tires squealed. I heard my photographer cuss. Even though I was upside down in the camera case, I never heard the sound of sheet metal being crushed – and that was a good thing. Maybe it was due to Tom’s cat-like reflexes behind the wheel, or perhaps our Guardian angel was riding shotgun, but our Ford Explorer remained intact and unscathed in Queens. The three of us were still in a massive traffic jam, but we were no worse for wear – other than Tom and Bob’s patience growing thinner by the minute. The clock was rapidly ticking down towards our one o’clock scheduled tour at Sagamore Hill, which was Theodore Roosvelt’s mansion in Oyster Bay, New York.
It was roughly 11:50am on Saturday June 10, 2023 and we were in the midst of one of the worst traffic situations any of us have ever encountered. Initially, my two companions figured there would be no workday traffic to contend with on a Saturday morning. But what they hadn’t anticipated was the mass exodus from the New York City area as people headed for the lavish beaches all up and down the coast of Long Island.
During the snarled mayhem on the Long Island Expressway, which we played a small role in, I found myself laughing at Bob Moldenhauer as he periodically recited our estimated time of arrival to Sagamore Hill. And although he was funny at times, it was also worrisome as well when Mongo stated our projected arrival time had reached 12:55pm. If correct, that gave us only five minutes of wiggle room to get to our tour on time.
Once we vacated the expressway, which was a huge relief, we had roughly ten miles of stop-and-go city traffic before we finally had the winding road to ourselves. When Tom pulled the Explorer into the parking lot at the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site at 12:47pm, it had taken two hours and fifteen minutes to travel 50 miles. We had made it in one piece, and that in itself was a huge relief. In my mind, our Guardian angel had once again looked out for our well-being.
With only thirteen minutes left before our tour, we had zero time to waste patting my photographer on the back for his driving skills. Our new dilemma was the parking lot was located halfway between the Visitor Center and the historic Roosevelt home, and my companions were unsure of where to pick up their tickets they had ordered on-line earlier that morning; the clock continued to tick towards one o’clock. My photographer suggested we quickly head to the Visitor Center for the tickets as that’s where he met up with his tour guide in 2017, but that idea turned out to be a horrible decision. After Bob ran ahead in an effort to save time, Tom carried me as fast as he could along the paved pathway towards the center. Just as the building came into view, our friend emerged and said we needed to be on the porch of the home by one o’clock to meet our NPS ranger. That’s the moment I heard another cuss word come from my photographer’s mouth.
Once again, Moldenhauer headed out on a quick-paced jog while Tom huffed and puffed his way towards the mansion, which was about a quarter mile from where we had originally parked the SUV. Just as the two of us arrived at the steps of Sagamore Hill to join the tour group that consisted of roughly a dozen or so people, plus Bob, I heard Tom say to Noah Masi, the NPS Ranger who was in charge of our tour: “I can’t believe we made it, (gasp) and we still have two minutes to spare (gasp).”
In 1880, Theodore Roosevelt was 22 years old when he purchased 155 acres of land on Cove Neck, which is a small peninsula located a couple of miles northeast of downtown Oyster Bay. TR loved the area as he had vacationed there as a child. Four years later, construction began on the large Queen Anne-style home Theodore called ‘Leeholm’, named after his wife Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt, who had suddenly passed away on February 14, 1884. Even though Roosevelt stayed in the home on and off during the summer of 1885, TR spent most of his time in the Dakota Territory at his Elkhorn Ranch. Roosevelt returned to Oyster Bay for the winter of 1886-87, which was when he married his second wife, Edith Kermit Carow, on December 2, 1886. Following his marriage to Edith, TR changed the name of his estate to Sagamore Hill, as “Sagamore” is the Algonquin word for chieftain, the head of the tribe. During that winter, Roosevelt lost a majority of his cattle due to starvation because of the harsh weather, and soon-after he returned to Sagamore Hill for good.
During the time he served as President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt had an expansion added to the house in 1905. The huge new addition was named the “North Room” and it was where TR kept his hunting trophies, along with hundreds of Presidential gifts, treasures, artwork, and artifacts Roosevelt collected from all over the world. The North Room was truly Roosevelt’s mancave and I couldn’t wait to see it again. Theodore Roosevelt lived in the 23-room mansion with his family from 1885 until his death on January 6, 1919 in an upstairs bedroom of the home.
Instead of me talking about our tour, and since a photo is worth a thousand words, I’ll let Tom’s images of our tour take you on a journey through historic Sagamore Hill – the home of our 26th President Theodore Roosevelt.
The Front Hall was where Roosevelt greeted visitors to his home. This hall was originally used as a sitting room before TR’s 1909 expansion of the mansion.
The massive head of a Cape Buffalo graced the fireplace in the Front Hall. That mount was just one of hundreds of trophies TR collected on his many hunting trips around North America, Brazil, and Africa.
I’m in Roosevelt’s Library, which he also used as his personal study. Portraits of Roosevelt’s heroes, including his father Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., Ulysses S. Grant, John Marshall, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, all graced the wall above the bookcase. TR’s daughter, Ethel, once called her father’s library “the heart of the home”.
This image was taken in the library shortly after Archibald Roosevelt, Jr. was born in 1918. TR, who was holding the infant, told his son Archie: “I am an excellent baby holder.”
From 1902 until 1908, President Roosevelt used his library as his executive office, and it marked the first time executive powers were exercised away from Washington D.C. for any period of time. The desk at the far right of the room was where TR dictated letters, received diplomats, met cabinet members, and in 1905, was where he arranged the peace conference that ended the war between Russia and Japan.
Edith’s Drawing Room was located across the hall from TR’s library and was used as Mrs. Roosevelt’s private domain and personal office. In a household which was in constant commotion, Edith relaxed in this room – it was her sanctuary where she read, knitted, wrote letters, and drank tea with friends.
In her office, Edith oversaw the family finances as she realized her husband was hopeless with money. TR once confessed to a friend: “Every morning, Edie puts twenty dollars in my pocket, and to save my life, I can never tell her afterward what I did with it.” The polar bear rug behind me was a gift from Admiral Robert Peary after his North Pole expedition in 1909.
At the opposite end of the Front Hall, away from the Library, was the spectacular North Room, which in my opinion, was the highlight of the first floor.
The North Room was added to Sagamore Hill in 1905. The large pair of ivory elephant tusks directly behind me were a gift to Roosevelt from the Emperor of Abyssinia.
The calvary saber and hat on the elk horns are originals and were carried by TR during his Rough Riders service. The glass case, on the round table to my left, contained a small samurai warrior that was a gift from Admiral Togo, hero of the Russo-Japanese War.
The part I thought was extremely cool was Theodore Roosevelt placed the saber and hat onto the elk antlers himself. TR likely used the prop as a good conversation starter with visitors and it was a way for him to talk about his time with the Rough Riders.
The North Room was where the Roosevelt’s played cards, listened to music, and welcomed Christmas. During moments of celebration, they danced in the room after rolling up the large carpet, which was a gift from the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
It was also in the North Room where President Theodore Roosevelt laid in state following his death on January 6, 1919.
This ornate chair I’m standing on, which was located just outside of the North Room, was used by Theodore Roosevelt during his time as Governor of New York from January 1, 1899 to December 31, 1900. Seconds after this image was taken, Tom snatched me up from the chair just before an older NPS ranger arrived on the scene. He didn’t say anything, but I suspected he somehow knew what the two of us were up to.
Meals in the Roosevelt Dining Room were always formal, and the entire family dressed for dinner, even when dining alone. The furniture in this room was purchased by TR and Edith during their honeymoon in Italy in 1887.
My photographer carried me up the staircase behind me to the second floor of the home. It was an amazing experience because I knew TR walked up those same stairs every day he was in this house.
I love visiting the room where a President once carried out his official duties each day. The Red Bathroom at Sagamore Hill was the first bathroom in the home. However, several smaller bathrooms were added over the years.
I’m standing in the bedroom of Alice Lee Roosevelt, the only child born to Theodore and his first wife Alice, who died just two days after giving birth to their daughter on February 12, 1884.
Following the death of his wife Alice, Roosevelt was so distraught he destroyed everything associated with her. As a matter of fact, he called his daughter “Baby Lee” so he wouldn’t have to say the name “Alice” again. Due to her father’s frequent absences during her childhood, Alice was a difficult child – she was headstrong, encourageable, and learned to smoke as a teenager while her father was President.
The Boy’s Room was where all four of Roosevelt’s sons stayed successively. As each boy turned 12, they were shipped off to boarding school. Over the years, some of TR’s grandsons stayed in this room as well.
This is the Master Bedroom at Sagamore Hill and was where Theodore and Edith slept for most of their marriage. While both of their parents stayed in this room, the children called it “Mother’s Room”, which was decorated with furniture from TR’s home on 57th Street in NYC.
Theodore Roosevelt used this room, which was located next to the Master Bedroom, as his personal Dressing Room. His riding cloak and boots were on display just to my left.
When we went to the third floor of the home, I was carried into the Gun Room, where TR went to escape the hustle and bustle of a normal day at Sagamore Hill while he wrote or got other work done. His desk, which featured a rhinoceros foot ink well, was positioned away from the window so he wouldn’t be tempted to gaze at nature or at his children playing in the yard.
Roosevelt used the Gun Room to do most of his writing, which he did during the morning. Funny thing was, he didn’t actually write; TR verbally dictated to a clerk typist who sat at the desk. In the afternoon, Roosevelt returned to the room to review what had been written.
While on the third floor, I found a side room with Roosevelt’s stored luggage TR used while he travelled to South America in 1913-14.
Back down to the second floor where I visited the South Bedroom, which was used exclusively by Edith following TR’s death in 1919. As a matter of fact, Edith Roosevelt outlived her husband by nearly 30 years before she died in this room at the age of 87 on September 30, 1948.
I’m standing in what was known as the Gate Room in the house, as a gate was always available to put across the doorway to keep toddlers inside the room. This room was adjacent to the Master Bedroom and was also used as a refuge for sick family members, which was how it also became known as the “Sick Room”. On January 5, 1919, while suffering from a battery of jungle diseases he contracted in South America, Theodore Roosevelt said to his wife as he looked out of the window on the far wall: “I wonder if you know how much I love Sagamore Hill.”
Just before he fell asleep in this bed at 11pm, TR said to his valet James Amos: “Please put out the light.” Those would be his final words. Theodore Roosevelt died in his sleep in the bed behind me from a coronary embolism at 4:00am on January 6, 1919 at the age of 60. After learning of Roosevelt’s death, sitting Vice President Thomas Marshall said: “Death had to take Roosevelt sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight.”
Theodore Roosevelt loved Sagamore Hill, and he loved showing it off to visitors who came calling on him at Oyster Bay. Throughout our tour, in every room we visited, I felt TR’s presence; he was most definitely there with us. At times I thought I saw him sitting in a distant chair reading a book. And there were other moments when I saw TR standing in the corner of a room, smiling at me with his wide, toothsome grin. And I know Tom and Bob felt his presence there as well. Of all the historic homes I’ve visited in the past, I thought that tour was one of the best – and that was because NPS Ranger Noah Masi let us take our time in each room and he didn’t keep us corralled like a herd of cattle where everyone stumbled over each other.
The North Room and the Gate Room were the highlights of the hour-long tour for me. But, the same couldn’t be said for my photographer. That’s because at one point, while we were visiting the family bedrooms on the second floor, an attractive young woman in our group told Tom she had seen his blog on-line. I was stunned, and in a total state of shock. I didn’t think anyone would ever recognize us during our travels, but she did – or should I say, she recognized me. However, Tom’s ego-filled bubble was burst a bit when the woman said she only saw his blog while surfing the internet during the pandemic and hadn’t been back to his site since. For the past three-plus years, since the moment my photographer started his blog in October 2019, Tom had hoped someone would come up to us out of the blue and say: “Hey, it’s the bobble head guy!” While that didn’t quite happen inside Sagamore Hill, it was the next best thing – at least in one guy’s mind.
Back outside, the three of us spent the next half-hour or so walking the hallowed grounds of Sagamore Hill. I also spent a good deal of time on the mansion’s porch, where Roosevelt addressed crowds, campaigned, and spent time admiring nature or watching his children and grandchildren play. During construction of the mansion, Roosevelt said he wanted his new home to possess “a very big piazza, where we could sit in rocking chairs and look at the sunset.”
For some strange reason, even though we were at Sagamore Hill on a Saturday afternoon, there didn’t seem to be many other visitors at the site – and trust me, I didn’t complain once. As a matter of fact, there were times it felt as though Tom, Bob, and I had the entire place to ourselves. With a cloudless blue sky above and the ambiance of the beautiful home Theodore Roosevelt loved more than anything, I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
When construction on Roosevelt’s mansion began in May 1884, he planned to name the place ‘Leeholm’, as a tribute to his wife Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt who died on February 14, 1884. But as soon as he married Edith Kermit Carow on December 2, 1886, he changed the name of his estate to “Sagamore Hill”. ‘Sagamore’ is the Algonquin word for chieftain, the head of the tribe.
I felt very small as I stood on the massive piazza of Sagamore Hill. That area of the porch was intentionally void of a barricade so Roosevelt could more easily address crowds assembled on his lawn.
In August 1908, President Roosevelt hosted the members of the United States Olympic team at Sagamore Hill. Did you notice this group was not very diverse? I don’t see any melanin-enriched athletes; no female athletes; and no guys who identify as female athletes.
I’m standing near the spot on the piazza where Theodore Roosevelt addressed a crowd of suffrage delegates in 1917.
This was the image of TR addressing the suffragettes in 1917. In my mind, Roosevelt was saying to the crowd: “Oh don’t lean on me man, ’cause you can’t afford the ticket. I’m back on Suffragette City. Oh don’t lean on me man, ’cause you ain’t got time to check it. Ohhh, wham bam thank you ma’am!”
There was no doubt I felt the presence of Theodore Roosevelt when I stood in his footsteps and looked out over the grounds where crowds once gathered to hear him speak. I wanted to shout out: “My fellow Americans, as you go forward from this day, June 10th, 2023, I want you to always speak softly and carry a big stick.”
As I stood next to one of the support beams on the piazza, I wondered if they were original to the late 1800s, or if they had been replaced in the past 137 years.
While Theodore Roosevelt wanted a large piazza where could sit in a rocking chair and watch the sun go down, I couldn’t watch the sunset at two o’clock in the afternoon. However, I did envision the President sitting in a chair on the lawn just to my left.
President Roosevelt was photographed seated in a chair on the lawn of his Summer White House in 1907.
“And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what this bobble head can do for you. Ask what you can do for this bobble head – and that’s leave me a comment below.”
Just after winning the 1904 Presidential election, President Theodore Roosevelt spoke to a large crowd gathered on his Sagamore Hill grounds in 1905.
Only the Roosevelt’s ever owned and lived at Sagamore Hill. Five years after Edith Roosevelt died in the home in 1948, the Theodore Roosevelt Association bought the historic mansion and its contents and opened it as a museum. In 1962, Sagamore Hill was transferred to the National Park Service.
During my final moments at the home of Theodore Roosevelt, I posed near the western entrance where I saw a Latin inscription over the doorway. The wording came from the Roosevelt family crest and read: “He who has planted shall preserve”.
Unlike any President before him or since, Theodore Roosevelt lived life to the fullest. TR loved the limelight and being the center of attention wherever he was – he was the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral. Roosevelt also loved being President of the United States and felt he was the perfect man for the job. To me, he was more than perfect for the job – he was a rock star. TR’s integrity, drive, determination, work ethics, and goals were second to none in the White House, while at the same time, he showed compassion and reached out a hand to those in need.
Perhaps the one aspect of Sagamore Hill that bothered me the most was seeing all of the dead animals inside the home. Hunting trophies graced nearly every room in the mansion – and in my opinion, an animal should not be killed simply to display its head on a wall, or its skin on the floor, or to use its foot as an ink well. But although Roosevelt had assassinated thousands of innocent critters all around the world during his lifetime, he became a conservationist who ultimately saved hundreds of millions of animals through his foresight, fortitude, and appreciation for nature and its resources. As President, Roosevelt used his authority to protect wildlife and public lands by creating the United States Forest Service in 1905. He established 150 new national forests, 18 national monuments, five national parks, and 51 federal bird reserves. As a matter of fact, the American bison would likely be extinct today had it not been for Theodore Roosevelt. His executive orders protected 230 million acres of public land for nature’s beloved critters, not to mention the preservation of nature’s majestic beauty that would be admired by a countless number of future generations.
As we left historic Sagamore Hill behind us, the three of us retraced our steps back to the Visitor Center and its small museum, but this time we weren’t in a rush like we were earlier. When Tom carried me inside the building, known as the Old Orchard and built in 1938 as the residence of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. and his wife Eleanor, the first person we saw was our tour guide and NPS Ranger Noah Masi. Tom and Bob chit-chatted with Noah for a few minutes before my companions and I headed into the small museum. Initially, I figured the museum would lack substance as all of Roosevelt’s belongings were likely inside Sagamore Hill. However, once I saw a few of the artifacts on display, I quickly realized I was mistaken.
It was an honor for me to pose near Theodore Roosevelt’s ‘Rough Riders’ uniform he used during his charge up San Juan Hill on July 1, 1898. TR called it “The great day of my life.”
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt was photographed in his Rough Riders uniform in 1898.
President Theodore Roosevelt wore this hat during the funeral of President William McKinley in 1901.
This blurry still image is from a film captured by Thomas Edison’s motion picture camera. President Theodore Roosevelt was photographed by Edison as he paid his respects to William McKinley at Canton Station on September 18, 1901, just before the start of McKinley’s funeral procession through the streets of Canton, Ohio.
This display I’m posing alongside featured artifacts used by Theodore Roosevelt during his wild game safari in Africa in 1909-1910 where he and his entourage collected specimens of animals for the National Museum of Natural History and the National Zoological Park.
When I posed near Roosevelt’s binoculars he used in Africa, I envisioned some of the wild animals he saw through them. However, TR didn’t just “bird watch” in Africa – he and his son, Kermit, killed a lot of big game animals. In total, Theodore and Kermit killed 512 animals and birds, including 18 lions, 3 leopards, 6 cheetahs, 10 hyenas, 12 elephants, 10 buffalos, 9 black rhinos (which are now very rare) and 97 white rhinos. I laughed to myself when I thought the only animal Kermit didn’t shoot was a frog.
I saved the best artifact for last as it was my favorite in the museum. President Theodore Roosevelt wore this ring, which contained a lock of Abraham Lincoln’s hair, during his second inauguration on March 4, 1905. TR’s Secretary of State John Hay, who was Lincoln’s personal secretary from 1861 to 1865, gave the ring to Roosevelt.
What an amazing afternoon I had standing in the footsteps and butt prints of our 26th President Theodore Roosevelt at the one place in the world he loved most – his beloved Sagamore Hill. The tranquil grounds and peaceful countryside made it very easy for the three of us to forget about the horrendous journey we endured to reach Oyster Bay.
But we were far from finished for the day. Before we departed the Sagamore Hill parking lot, Bob secured reservations at a reasonably-priced motel in Bayville, New York, which was only five miles north of Oyster Bay. And that was no easy task as most of the lodging in that area of Long Island was either already sold out or the places were out of the price range of my cheap companions.
The three of us had just visited the site where TR lived and where he died. Our next stop was scheduled to be the site where one of America’s greatest Presidents was laid to rest – Youngs Memorial Cemetery. That small, but historic, burial ground was located just over one mile south of Sagamore Hill. It was 3:15pm with plenty of daylight left, and I couldn’t wait to see Theodore Roosevelt’s grave again.
However, you will have to wait – at least until the next post is published. I will say, you won’t want to miss any of the action as that post will define just how cheap (or economical) my two companions are when we travel.
** THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO NPS RANGER NOAH MASI FOR HIS PATIENCE WITH MY PHOTOGRAPHER DURING OUR TOUR AT SAGAMORE HILL **
My name is Thomas Watson and I've been a U.S. history fanatic since I was 9 years old. In 2013, I decided to take my passion to the next level when I purchased a Thomas Jefferson bobble head with the sole intention of photographing that bobble head at Presidential sites. From that first day on July 10, 2013 at Spiegel Grove in Fremont, Ohio, this journey has taken on a life of its own. Now, nearly 40,000 miles later, I thought it was time to share the experiences, stories, and photos of Jefferson's travels. Keep in mind, this entire venture has been done with the deepest respect for the men who held the office as our President; no matter what their political affiliations, personal ambitions, or public scandals may have been. This blog is intended to be a true tribute to the Presidents of the United States and this story will be told Through the Eyes of Jefferson. I hope you enjoy the ride!
One thought on “246: THE UNFORGETABLE AND NEAR-DISASTROUS ROUGH RIDE TO SAGAMORE HILL”
It was certainly a harrowing trip to Sagamore Hill….would we make in time or not! Sagamore Hill was one of the most highly anticipated sites on our trip for me, and I was not disappointed! You did an outstanding job with your photography and writing as I felt that I was back inside (and outside) the mansion. It has to be among the great presidential sites in the world. The tour was amazing, and I am thankful that we were not rushed through the home, much like our tour of Springwood a few days earlier.
Alice died on Valentine’s Day, so poor TR probably never enjoyed that day for the rest of his life.
Although dead animals and their body parts are closely associated with TR, for me it is a repulsive aspect of his character.
It was certainly a harrowing trip to Sagamore Hill….would we make in time or not! Sagamore Hill was one of the most highly anticipated sites on our trip for me, and I was not disappointed! You did an outstanding job with your photography and writing as I felt that I was back inside (and outside) the mansion. It has to be among the great presidential sites in the world. The tour was amazing, and I am thankful that we were not rushed through the home, much like our tour of Springwood a few days earlier.
Alice died on Valentine’s Day, so poor TR probably never enjoyed that day for the rest of his life.
Although dead animals and their body parts are closely associated with TR, for me it is a repulsive aspect of his character.