Author: donnacornick

As you enter the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, you are greeted by this photo.

June 29, 1933. Campobello Island. FDR returuns for the first time since 1921 when he was diagnosed with polio.

From Archives..the full photo.

The First Presidential Library and the only one used by a President still in office.

Opened June 1941

Another gorgeous day. As usual, my morning began with a walk through the beautiful grounds. The driveway, the colorful trees, hay bales, driveway gates, the benches, Springwood, the Rose garden and gravesite.

FDR’s bedroom is on 2d floor on the left. Sara’s bedroom is 2d floor on the right. ER’s bedroom was in between.

October 14. A truly beautiful day.Temps in 60s, breezy, sunny, Perfection!

Afternoon walk..down the driveway

Fall color against brilliant blue sky.

Two benches overlooking the Hudon River Valley.

Springwood..home of FDR..Today..after 1915 remodeling, 35 rooms, 9 baths.

Springwood before 1915, 17 rooms, 2 baths.

Graves of FDR and ER.

Oct 11 was Eleanor’s 135th birthday..thus the wreaths.

Going home. …Nothing serious but need to come home

Terribly sad to be leaving 😥

Hope to be back..possibly next year

Morning walk to pay my respects

Proud Land is trying so hard to bloom.

Proud Land …maybe in November??

This morning is Drab, Dark, Misty, Breezy with temperature in low 50s. Brrrr.

So here’s the daily walk

A hint of color

Layering…Golf shirt, long sleeve t-shirt, rain jacket, fleece jacket.

Need longer arms for a selfie

Walking companions.. Snowball and Milkie

On such a raw day, no place better than inside the FDR museum. As docent, had some interesting conversations with folks from all over..Milan, New Mexico, California, Georgia and even 2 North Carolinians from Raleigh.

The gentleman from Milan asked me what is a “fireside chat” and how many did FDR give? I could explain the radio addresses but did not know the number. But now I do. 31!

Also had a nice chat (not a fireside) with Paul Sparrow, Director of the FDR Library. We talked about Professor Leuchtenburg and how we need to get him up here. Paul said “I will ask him to come up and speak and maybe that will work.” Also talked about budget cuts and the overall sad state of things…you know what I am talking about.

So a few photos from FDR’s First Term

1932 Election

The New Deal.

” A new deal for the American people”.
From FDR’s address accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. July 2, 1932

This what 100 Days of Action Look Like…The Standard by which every President is measured..None have come close.

And a few photos from the 2nd term…

1936 Election

My 2nd FAVORITE FDR QUOTE..and so sadly appropriate today

The Roosevelt recession, Atempt to “pack'” the Supreme Court (too bad he didn’t), and attempt to purge the Democratic Party of consertative members in the 1938 mid-term elections (too bad that did not work) made the 2nd term problematic.

Would FDR run for unprecedented 3rd Term?

No one knew if he would run in 1940 ..hence The Sphinx

Launched by Republicans after FDR was elected 4 times..The 22nd Amendment limits a President’s term in office to 2 terms. Ratified in 1951.

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Today is warm, sticky, humid and cloudy. Not the prettiest for sure. I planned to attend church service at St. James Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, but the power went out and i just could not go with a wet head and I thought it was an 11am service, but nope, 10am..oops..will plan on next Sunday.

So I did my walk, but the humidity and rain from last night made the walk a challenge..splashing through mud puddles down the driveway.

So Barb, here is the daily bench photo..in the misty rain.

I spent part of the afternoon doing Docent duty in the FDR Museum. Lots of visitors and a number of young folk which was nice to see.

I decided to arrange photos sort of like the museun is arranged. Here are a few photos from the 1933 Inauguration section.

The Dutch Bible used in all 4 inaugurations.

The Fedora worn in all 4 campaigns

On the way to the Inauguration March 1933.

The last President to be sworn into office in March and thus the first to be sworn in in January as the 20th Amendment changed the date to January 20th. Hoover was completely Grim.

Copies of the Inaugural Address 1933.

Misty rain falling across FDR Historic Site this morning. 54 degrees.

Nice afternoon with lunch in Poughkeepsie at the IceHouse restaurant.

Walkway Across the Hudson

FDR Memorial Bridge over the Hudson

Dear, long-time friends from Chapel Hill who now live in Rhinebeck

Refreshment

It was 51 degrees, wind from NE at 11mph. Brillant blue sky. So a brisk morning walk.

And in the Rose Garden,

“Proud Land” is not in bloom…just saying

An absolutely glorious afternoon. 64 degrees, sunny.

Finally I found 1 apple tree that had a solo apple. What’s happening??

Spent some time with Franklin and Winston at a Freedom memorial, exhibiting a section of the Berlin Wall.

Went on two tours this afternoon with Jason and then Demetri. Both are young, full time with NPS. Good guys.

View from 2d floor of Springwood. The view that FDR had from his 2d floor bedroom. But he would have been able to see the Hudson River, hidden now by his trees

Roosevelt is a Dutch name meaning field of roses.

Red Masterpiece, one of 28 varieties of roses in the Rose Garden.

My usual morning walk turned into a morning focused on horses and trees.

Mr. James Roosevelt (FDR’s father) was an avid horseman, raising primarily, Trotters. He built this barn in the 1886 and you can still see his initials, JR.

There is a story about this empty frame. A prize horse, (Glossimer?) was killed in a train wreck. The horse’s tail was removed and mounted into this frame. It hung in FDR’s bedroom in the White House and then moved to the stable. As the story was told to me, the tail was removed several years ago due to objections of a animal groups. No clue what happened to the tail, but the frame remains in the stable!

FDR listed his occupation as “tree farmer” and added over 500,000 trees to Springwood. He specified in his Will that no tree will be removed unless dying or diseased. Thus there is no view of the Hudson River as trees block the view. Here are a few of the 500,000.

Old Oak along the driveway.

New Oak along the driveway

One of the many Apple Trees..but NO apples. I trust that my 2 Springwood apple trees are thriving.

My Hyde Park Apple trees..from seeds

The afternoon was another tour of Springwood with Ranger Bob.

Inside Springwood, 2 photos of the entry room.

On the wall is FDR’s collection of political cartoons of Am. Revolution and War of 1812..pretty anti-British

Prior to the arrival of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in June 1939, Sara told her son (FDR) to remove the cartoons. The cartoons stayed on the wall. King George walked over to view and then said ” I believe you have some in your collection that i do not have in mine”. Ice broken. Time for cocktails.

This statue of FDR at age 29 is in the main room. It depicts FDR without legs and sitting in a kitchen chair.

This was 10 years Before polio. And FDR used a kitchen chair modified and equiped with bicycle wheels as his wheelchair. To me, this is Spooky.

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” — FDR, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1937.

At the Entrance to the FDR Presidential Library. The First Presidential Library and the only Presidential Library used by a President while in Office. Opened June 1941.

I will be serving as a Docent in the Library/Museum

As always I did my daily morning walk across the FDR Historic Site.

A beautiful, sunny morning.

Love how sunlight reflects off the Vermont marble

Down the driveway. The original driveway used by the Roosevelt family. Attempting to recover from polio, FDR would try to “walk” using crutches, to the end at Albany Post Road. He never made it.

Overlooking the Hudson Valley..a hint of color

Hemlocks surround the Rose Garden and Gravesite..as it has always been.

I went on another NPS tour of Springwood this afternoon in preparation for leading a tour soon.

Did my deers follow me to Hyde Park?

I had a chance to talk with Cliff Laube, Program Relations, about possibly doing a research project. He will contact the Supervisory Archivist to see if anything is available. So wait to hear.

I also did a quick tour of the Special Exhibit of Posters of WW II.

It is an incredible exhibit and I hope later to do a blog page devoted to this exhibit.

The War Bonds posters were especially meaningful to me. My dad was a paratrooper and did exhibition jumps into baseball stadiums, etc. to help sell war bonds. I have the first bond he bought ($25) for his mom.