A visit to Eleanor's place

For years I've been wanting to visit the retreat of Eleanor Roosevelt, located a few miles from the Hyde Park home of the Roosevelts.  Today I made a trip to Val-Kill, her retreat while Franklin was alive, and her home after leaving the White House.  During the presidency the Roosevelts entertained many famous people here, Winston Churchill, Emperor Haille Selassie, the Kruschevs, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain, Netherlands Queen Wilhelmina and her family, and many more, including annual picnics for youth.  There are actually two dwellings on the property, Stone Cottage where she lived initially, and Val-Kill, converted from a furniture factory that once employed many local craftsmen during the Depression, where they turned out beautifully made furniture, as well as other handicrafts.

There were old home movies taken by the Roosevelt family of gatherings including friends and family.  Since these are home movies they aren't censored in the way photographs and films were vetted in those days.  There is a swim party in one of the films, and at one point you can see Franklin out of the pool and sitting at the edge, with his legs exposed, the effects of polio are obvious.  I don't think anything like that was ever shown to the public in those days.  There is also a very quick scene of Eleanor with a cigarette in her hand.  These were the 1930's/40's after all.

Note to those who may not have read my explanation of the letters "kill" in local names, this area was settled by the Dutch, and in that language the word "kill" means a stream or creek, There are a great many towns and areas in this locale with "kill" in the names, i.e., Fishkill, Peekskill, Catskill, etc.

Here are some photos I took:
(Stone cottage as seen walking up from the parking lot.  (Click to enlarge photo)

Does anyone remember having one of these?

The next two are of Val-Kill, a converted furniture factory, and then a couple of photos from the grounds.

Eleanor is an inspirational figure to me, actually both of the Roosevelts are, but her courage, empathy, sincerity, and intellect are sadly lacking today.  I asked the Park Ranger who gave the tour if he thought there was an American alive today who could come anywhere near matching E.R., and he said he didn't think so.  For one thing anyone in the public eye is constantly being watched and hounded by people and the press; in the 30's and 40's people in the public arena were allowed a degree of time in their own space to be themselves without the constant public intrusion.  And of course there are billions of dollars available for outright bribery and ownership of public officials.  I despair of ever seeing a truly outstanding candidate again.

Overall, I found the Stone Cottage and Val-kill very simple with comfort and serenity made obvious.   The house at Hyde Park (actually owned by Franklin's mother) is a comfortable refuge, but heavier and more masculine in feeling.  Both have well made and comfortable furniture, the kind where you would easily find a couch or chair to curl up in and read a book or take a nap.  They lack the "rich and proud to show it" look of some of the wealthy of those days - the Vanderbilts and some of the other rich families  were no doubt much more ostentatious.  I love the Roosevelts, probably more than any other Presidential family in history.  (But I'm also partial to George Washington.)

While I was out I found the Barnes & Noble store and bought birthday presents for two of the grandkids (Joshua and Arianna).  Kids today get way too many toys and electronics, and I always give books to them for Christmas and birthdays.  So far their parents really encourage them to read books.  I am a book lover and this B&N was a joy to behold!  I dealt with a lovely person who guided me towards the type of book I was looking to give Josh, and I appreciate service like that, and the little extra I pay for buying at the store is well worth it.