Theodore 'Teddy" Roosevelt
Picture Source: White House

Of all the past presidents of the United States, none are more fascinating than Teddy Roosevelt. He was a man of action, a man of bravery and a man who loved his family. One might argue that he was too bold, building a canal in Panama without caring what Panama thought about the idea, but there is no denying that he was first and foremost an American and held the American ideal above all else. In 1884 his first wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt, and his mother died on the same day. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating the Russo-Japanese War, reached a Gentleman's Agreement on immigration with Japan, and sent the Great White Fleet on a goodwill tour of the world. While campaigning in Milwaukee, he was shot in the chest by a fanatic. Roosevelt soon recovered.

This article is not so much a history of Teddy but a photographic view of his home and grounds at Sagamore Hill and the cemetery where he and a lot of his family are buried.

Sagamore Hill:

Sagamore Hill is in Oyster Bay on Long Island in the state of New York. Teddy came from a very rich family and by 1837 they were one of the twenty richest families in the United States. I would like to say that the home and grounds are quite elegant but the truth is the home is very masculine and seems not to have much of a woman's touch on the exterior. Every man would love it, but whether every woman would is quite another story. I walked around the outside of the house and took this series of photographs as I circled it.

1	2	3
4	5	6
7	8	9
10	11	12

13

Photographs Source: Me with my trusty Canon Elf.

Please note that anywhere you see a modern improvement such as an air conditioner it wasn't in the house during Roosevelt's time. I thought the porch was very interesting for several reasons. The first reason is that the railing (3) was removed from part of it. The reason for this is that it was easier to get off your horse right on to the porch. The second reason this was an interesting place is that there are some photographs showing the president sitting in the very rocking chairs that are there with dignitaries from other countries and his family. The bench I discovered on the side of the house (12) had some interesting artwork but I don't know much about it. Most of the house facing the sun had awnings to keep the sun out and the house cooler in the summer. They could be rolled up in the winter to allow more heat to enter the home (13)

There are other structures on the grounds. I photographed some of them also.

Photo Source: Me and my Canon Elf
Ice House behind home You needed somewhere to keep ice for the guests that arrived.

Photographs Source: Me
Pump house. This pump house supplied all the water to the main house. It also served as a place for the Roosevelt children to play and climb.

Photo Source: Me
Carriage House.

It doesn't seem like they could all fit in the carriage house, but the Roosevelt's had a surrey, a phaeton, a pony cart and a three-seat carriage along with a farm wagon

There are other interesting structures on the grounds such as tool sheds, a barn and a gazebo to mention a few.

Photographs Source: Me

Photo (18) shows a nice Gazebo away from the house while (19) is a photo of a restful bench under a tree. Photo (20) is the mystery plaque, I wonder what it read? (21) shows a partial view of the grounds.

Young's Memorial Cemetery:

Being very curious I wondered where the president and his family were buried. I found out that they are buried near the house in a small cemetery on Cove road in Oyster Bay named Young's Memorial Cemetery. Below are photographs I took of their graves. There are many Roosevelts here but not all of them.

The photo source for the above photo and all photos that follow is me using my Canon Elf digital camera.

(23) - Entrance to cemetery. There is a steep path and stairs to climb, it is a bit of a strain. (24) - President Roosevelt's and Edith Kermit's Grave. (25) - It is surrounded by a fence and no one else is there.

As we wondered through the small cemetery we noticed that the Roosevelts are all in the back section of the cemetery. Here are the stones of all the Roosevelts we could find:

I am going to leave the research of the Roosevelt graves to someone else. You can see there is a couple of Teddy's children buried here. As for the rest of the family, if anyone wants to check out each stone to find the exact identity and relationship to the former president, have fun, and let me know what you find out. Notice how small the cemetery is, you can see the width in (43). Most of the Roosevelt graves are behind the area in (41) except for the President.