The Rough Writer
News for and about the Volunteers at Sagamore Hill
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The Rough Writer is a volunteer newsletter, not an official National Park Service publication. It should not be used for historic research.
If you can't see the photos in this e-newsletter, click "display images below" or "allow images" in your email.
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“Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
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Heather Heckel, Sagamore Hill, colored pencil on paper, 8" x 8", 2020
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Well, we’ve made it this far – the Fall is upon us, and we move again, now with less uncertainty we hope, into Autumn and fewer Covid restrictions. The Park is swarming with visitors, even while the TRH and OOM remain closed. Rangers are stationed at locations throughout the Park to answer visitors’ questions; and while visitors are still expected to wear masks and to practice social distancing, they continue to enjoy walking the nature trail and the grounds around the TRH.
We welcome back Jonathan Parker, now the permanent Superintendent, to the Park as of August 31. After serving as Acting Superintendent during the fall of 2019 and the difficult shutdown period in the spring of 2020, Jonathan now takes the lead in managing new challenges as parks here and across the country straddle the demand for reopening with the mandate for the safety of staff, volunteers, and properties.
We also welcome new Museum Technician Lindsay Davenport (see profile below). She comes with National Park experience and an enthusiasm for working here at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.
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And, finally, we extend our congratulations to volunteer Bill (and Donna) Reed on the birth of their new granddaughter, Violet Isabella Veilleux and to Violet’s proud parents, Elisabeth and Christopher Veilleux.
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Our two extended articles in this issue include one on TR’s dinner with Booker T. Washington at the White House in 1901, and another on the carriage accident in 1902 that seriously injured TR and killed his Secret Service bodyguard, William Craig. And along with a profile of Lindsay Davenport, Rich Althaus whose care and expertise continue to enhance the properties comprising Sagamore Hill, is also featured. There is an important FOSH update, and co-editor Charlotte Miska continues her columns on the natural world at Sagamore Hill, this time focusing on butterflies. If you take the path across the field, you might also see hungry honey bees and other pollinators visiting the milkweed and other fall plants. Finally, if you have had trouble seeing the entire issue of the Rough Writer, click on the blue message (View entire message) at the bottom of the last page read. Some devices clip the full article.
Nancy and Charlotte
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Lindsay Davenport
New Museum Technician Introduces Herself
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Although new to Sagmore Hill, I have nearly a decade of experience with the National Park Service. I began my career at Gateway National Recreation Area before moving on to Governors Island National Monument and Manhattan sites. I have extensive experience in material culture and historic home research and care, thanks to my time working at The Shriver House Museum in Gettysburg, as well as an internship with The Kerr Memorial Museum in Pittsburgh. I have always been fascinated and inspired by historic homes and what they can tell us about a person, so in my spare time I make a point to visit new museums often. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree from Siena College and a Master’s Degree from Duquesne University. I am a fan of Star Wars, and I love browsing through thrift and used record stores. It has been my dream for a very long time to work at Sagamore Hill, and I look forward to meeting and working with all of you in my new position as Museum Technician.
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Curator's Corner
by Susan Sarna
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Evolution of the First Floor Hall Carpets
Sagamore Hill has gone through more changes to the interior in the past 67 years as a museum than it did when TR and Edith graced its hallways. When the home was originally built in 1884, TR envisioned a hall “as broad a hall as our space would permit.” The Front Hall originally served as a sitting area and had a sofa along the north end of the fireplace. After the North Room was built, the sofa was moved into the newly built room and the hall returned to just being a hall.
Thanks to photographic evidence, letters, diaries, and probate inventories, we have an idea of how Edith decorated the Front Hall. While the furniture moved around and the trophies on the walls changed, the rugs remained steady. The photos show, very consistently, a variety of oriental carpets covering the floor in random patterns according to size. Of course, the photographs are not in color. For this the researchers turned to TR’s 1919 probate inventory which lists several “red center” oriental style carpets.
While Edith may not have changed her style of carpeting over the years, the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) and the National Park Service (NPS) surely did. When the house was opened to visitors in 1953, the TRA didn’t take historic accuracy into consideration. Instead, they leaned towards protecting the floors from the onslaught of visitors, so they covered the floor with plain industrial red rugs. When the NPS took over in 1963, they went a step further in the protection theory and covered the entire floor with a similar industrial red carpet. This change drew much criticism from the TRA. Mrs. Bertha Rose, who helped preserve and restore Sagamore Hill as a museum in 1953, was very vocal towards the change. She stated, “I hate it…I would have had Oriental rugs and I know they would go…to me this destroys the feel of the house completely…” (Sagamore Hill Historic Furnishing Plan, 1989).
Unfortunately, it took the NPS until the 1980s to correct this decorative and historically inaccurate blunder. At that time, the NPS purchased a set of Karastan oriental rugs that matched in pattern, even though the Roosevelts would have never had a set of matching rugs. This year the park purchased an assortment of new rugs for the Front Hall in some of the patterns, styles, and colors listed in the probate inventories and evidenced in the historic photographs.
Mrs. Bertha Rose was correct about the impact a rug can have on a visitor. The visitor’s first impression occurs when they step into the Front Hall of the home. The rugs influence the interpretation and feel of the home. This researcher hopes that the evolution of the rugs has come full circle and that Edith would be pleased with the latest version of her originals.
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Front Hall, 2020
Source: Sagamore Hill Historic Furnishing Plan, David Wallace, 1989
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Heather Heckel's Art Connects History and the Natural World
by Nancy Hall
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Heather Heckel has taught art in New York for six years so far, at both the middle school and high school level. As an artist, she has also been privileged to spend several summers as well as weekends participating in the artist-in-residence program for the National Park Service at locations across the country. Since 2016, Heather has created drawings at Hot Springs National Park, Weir Farm National Historic Site, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Indiana Dunes National Park, Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site (in Navajo Nation), Homestead National Monument of America, Big Cypress National Preserve, and in the Fall of 2019, Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.
The following is Heather’s account of both her work at Sagamore Hill and her understanding of how art can connect history, culture, generations, and the community.
“My experience as a visiting artist-in-residence at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site was meaningful to me both personally and professionally. I moved to Long Island three years ago to teach middle school art in Port Washington; however, I was still feeling the need to connect with the local community. Sagamore Hill provided the opportunity for me to be of service to the Park while making new connections with visitors, volunteers, and staff. Drawing in the Visitor Center on Saturday afternoons allowed me to meet new people while sharing my artistic process of using colored pencils and photo reference to combine historical objects from inside the house with natural objects found on the grounds. During my roughly six months of visits, I was able to chat with visitors and answer questions, conduct a public workshop where participants made artist trading cards about the Park, and I created an activity for a local Girl Scout troop. This residency gave me the time, space, and inspiration to create eight new drawings that paired objects in a way that I had never practiced before.
Every National Park is different, and as I am now creating artwork for my 11th residency I am able to reflect on how the atmosphere of each park directly influenced the series that I made. Sagamore Hill projected elegance, precision, and the importance of learning from history indoors fused with the appreciation of preserving and exploring the outdoors. These virtues are all influenced by the memory of Teddy Roosevelt and his family, whose personalities and passions linger through the home they lived in and continued storytelling; I hope these themes are evident in the artwork that I created, and ultimately they are an invitation for dialogue about Sagamore Hill and all it has to offer.”
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Heather's drawings shown below and of the TRH at the top of this newsletter are all colored pencil on paper, 8" x 8".
Question: Can YOU identify the objects and the room in which they are located? Answers are at the bottom of the this newsletter.
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Blue Vase with Maple Leaf |
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Frog with Goldenrod and Bee |
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George Washington with Black Eyed Susan |
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Rich Althaus - Unsung Hero
by Milton Elis
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Rich, as he is known to everyone, has been with Maintenance for over twenty years. In 1996, he started as a volunteer. Knowledgeable in German, Rich was asked by Curator Sue Sarna to work on translating portions of the Nibelunglied, the large book of German fables and fairy tales found on the large circular table in the North Room. The collection was a gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II. After a short time as a volunteer, Rich realized his talents as a professional house painter would be better used by his working for the Maintenance Division. Roger Johnson, then chief of that division, welcomed him to the staff.
Rich is a history buff and an active member of the Hicksville Historical Society helping to preserve that community’s museum and the ancient steam locomotive on display in the center of town. Seeing Rich driving the golf cart around Sagamore Hill checking on our facilities or seeing him mowing or clearing the snow, some volunteers might be unaware that he was also responsible for constructing some of the display cases in the Old Orchard Museum.
Likewise, the apple orchard, recreated a number of years ago, has flourished thanks in large part to Rich’s efforts. His expertise has helped Sagamore Hill maintain the look of the farm and grounds when the Roosevelt family lived here.
As a supporter of Sagamore Hill events, both for the public and for the volunteers and staff, Rich has often brought along his father and his sister to enjoy these activities, making his commitment to both the preservation of the site as well as to the Sagamore Hill community so valuable and appreciated.
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Tour Tips - It Happened in September |
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September 1876 – TR enrolls at Harvard College.
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September 1883 – TR goes hunting bison in the Bad Lands and is inspired to invest in cattle and becomes a partner in the Maltese Ranch near what is now Medora, North Dakota.
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September 27, 1861 – Corinne Roosevelt, the fourth and youngest child of Martha and TR, Sr., is born in New York City.
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September 1886 – TR nominated for mayor of NYC on the Republican ticket.
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September 3, 1887 – Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., oldest son of TR and Edith Roosevelt, is born in Cove Neck, NY.
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September 1895 – 30,000 German Americans march down Lexington Avenue to protest Police Commissioner Roosevelt’s enforcement of the Excise Law.
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September 16, 1898 – Rough Riders mustered out of Montauk, NY after 137 days of volunteer service in Cuba.
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September 6, 1901 – President William McKinley shot in Buffalo, NY.
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September 14, 1901 – McKinley dies, and TR is sworn in as the 26th US President in Buffalo.
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September 3, 1902 – TR survives a serious carriage accident in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, which kills his Secret Service bodyguard, William “Big Bill” Craig. His “bruised” leg would later require emergency surgery, and TR would spend several weeks in a wheelchair recovering in the White House.
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September 5, 1905 – The Treaty of Portsmouth is signed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, ending the war between the Japanese and the Russians.
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September 1914 – TR calls for “a world league for the peace of righteousness,” foreshadowing Woodrow Wilson’s League of Nations proposal.
Sources: Mental Floss and UVA: the Miller Center.
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It Also Happened in Pittsfield
by Nancy Hall
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On September 3, 1902, almost one year to the day since Theodore Roosevelt became president following the assassination of William McKinley on September 14, 1901, Roosevelt set out on the campaign trail to support New England Republicans in the mid-term primaries. Roosevelt believed primary victories in an area of the country not particularly favorable to him could win support for his own "accidental" presidency. However, vigorous campaigning by a president or presidential candidate was not the norm – McKinley himself was remembered for his laid back “Front Porch Campaign” style: he stayed close to home and let supporters come to him.
Sitting or waiting on his front porch was not Roosevelt’s style, neither as a vice presidential candidate (when TR traveled throughout the country stumping for McKinley) nor as president, but this particular trip unsettled those who were assigned to protect the president, not because TR was breaking precedent but because of concerns for his safety.
There were well-founded concerns that copycat assassins or anarchists might attempt to mark the one year anniversary of McKinley’s death with another killing. Given the fact that McKinley was the third American president to be killed in office (Lincoln and Garfield being the other two), the Secret Service, whose duties previously focused on catching counterfeiters, assigned two agents, William Taylor and William Craig, to protect TR on this campaign-style trip from Maine to Connecticut. However, even with Secret Service bodyguards, this trip would claim a fatality, not TR but Craig, known affectionately as “Big Bill”, the first Secret Service agent to be killed in the line of duty.
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William Craig, 45, immigrated to the United States from Scotland after serving for twelve years in the British Army, including the Grenadiers and cavalry. At 6’4”, with an “unusually fine physique”(Siry) and a master swordsman, Craig was literally a “standout” among his fellow soldiers, prompting TR to specifically request him for duty at the White House. Craig was known as “the Secret Service Man Extraordinary and the Plenipotentiary to the President” (Siry). He was also a favorite with the Roosevelt children.
So it was that on September 3, just a few days into the President’s New England trip, a terrible accident occurred that sent an injured TR back to Sagamore Hill earlier than expected and ended Craig’s life as he attempted to protect the President.
The accident occurred just after 9:30 in the morning in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, a stop en route to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where Roosevelt planned to board the special Pullman train, Mayflower, that would take him to New Haven where he would then sail home to Oyster Bay. On this day, Roosevelt shared his open carriage with Governor Crane of Massachusetts and TR’s secretary, George Cortelyou. The crowds were friendly; the early fall weather was crisp and beautiful. Deputy Sheriff David Pratt, a noted horseman, drove the president’s carriage; Craig sat next to Pratt, keeping one hand firmly placed near the hip pocket in which he carried his revolver.
Following a brief speech, Roosevelt’s entourage of four carriages and escort horses headed down South Street toward the Pittsfield Country Club where the President was expected to sign its register. Sheriff Pratt, who had been driving the carriage to the left side of the trolley tracks, slowly, too slowly as it turned out, maneuvered the horses over tracks that veered from the center of the road to the right side and into the path of Trolley #25. TR and his companions, alarmed at the sight of the approaching trolley, heard a rumble and a clanging warning bell.
When Craig heard the trolley’s bell, he rose from his seat next to Pratt, waved and shouted at the motorman, and “gazed up...in horror” as he reached “an arm over President Roosevelt’s head” (Solomon) to protect him. But the force of the collision was such that it threw Craig directly into the front of the trolley, his skull and chest crushed, his facial features mangled beyond recognition. As for Pratt, he was also seriously injured but recovered; Cortelyou and Governor Crane received only minor injuries though they were badly shaken.
The impact of the collision was such that TR was thrown 30-40 feet from the carriage, hitting his face and then the back of his head, ripping his coat and breaking his glasses. And the president suffered a badly bruised left leg just below the knee. The knee injury proved to be more serious than first thought, and though the resulting abscess in that area required two surgeries, the leg never healed properly and possibly contributed to the near-fatal complications resulting from another leg injury twelve years later during the expedition down the River of Doubt in 1914.
When asked what his initial reaction was to seeing the crushed carriage and mangled body of “Big Bill,” TR angrily replied, “I’ll tell you! I picked myself up, went to the rail of the car, shook my fist at the motorman’s face and said, ‘If this was an accident that’s one thing; but if it was anything else than an accident, then I tell you it’s a G** d*** outrage!’” (Lovering). Those remarks were printed in full the next day in a New York paper; the reporter was fired for using foul language in print! Edith Wharton remembered TR’s later comments to be more somber. He said, “I loved [Craig] because of his faithfulness and his kindness to my children,” his voice choking with emotion. (Siry).
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TR's carriage after the crash |
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The details as to exactly how the trolley came to collide with the president’s carriage remained a source of controversy. Madden was charged and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, fined $500, and served a jail sentence of 60 days, spending most nights in his own home. Though Madden claimed he was speeding at the instruction of his superiors in order to get his passengers to the country club ahead of Roosevelt, others contested this accusation; and conspiracy theorists speculated that the collision was no accident. Author Burt Solomon (whose scheduled appearance at a 2020 spring Gable lecture was canceled due to the coronavirus shutdown) capitalizes on these controversies as a backdrop to the plot of his highly entertaining novel, The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt.
In December 2000, the men and women of the Secret Service who gave their lives in the line of duty were memorialized on its Wall of Honor in Washington D.C. And for his heroic service to Theodore Roosevelt on that September day in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Scotsman, immigrant, soldier, and friend of the President and his family, William “Big Bill” Craig’s name heads the list of 37 selfless agents.
Sources:
Department of Homeland Security webpage.
iBerkshires.com. Wed, May 15, 2019.
Lovering, Frank W. “Eyewitness Tells of T.R.’s Pittsfield Outrage”. Pittsfield Gazette, August 20, 1960.
Reck, Donna Decker. "Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Ride”. SAHI archives.
Roosevelt, Tweed. E-mail to Amy Verone. SAHI archives.
Siry, Steven E. “Theodore Roosevelt’s Brush with Death in 1902”. Theodore
Roosevelt Association Journal. Volume XXV, Number 1. August 7, 2002.
Solomon, Burt. The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt. Thomas Doherty Associates ebook, 2019.
Trolley Car Treasury
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Booker T. Washington
by Toby Selda
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“A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt’s invitation to Booker T. Washington to visit – to dine – at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters. America today is a world away from the cruel and prideful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African American to the presidency of the United States.”
– John McCain in his 2008 concession speech
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A Crime Equal to Treason
Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, after reading an advance copy of Up From Slavery, wrote to thank its author, Booker T. Washington, and asked to meet with him. TR had known Washington for some time and wanted advice from the country’s most famous and respected Black man on selecting candidates for office, based on character instead of patronage. He planned to occasionally recommend a Black man, or even a Democrat, if they proved to be the most qualified for the position. After meeting in New York in April 1901, they exchanged letters and telegrams for the next few months. Another meeting was scheduled for November at Washington’s Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. On this trip, TR was also planning to visit Roswell, Georgia and the plantation where his mother grew up. Roosevelt was hoping to boost his following in the South, and Booker T. hoped a visit by the very popular Roosevelt would be good publicity for his school.
After Roosevelt became President on September 14, 1901, following the death of William McKinley, his plans to visit Tuskegee were put on hold. He immediately wrote to Booker T. and said he wished to discuss some possible future appointments in the South. They met one evening at the White House during the last week of September and TR asked him to stop by again whenever he was in town. A few weeks later, on October 16, Roosevelt heard Booker T. was back in town and invited him to join the family for dinner. TR was the first president to include political discussions in his White House dinners, and they discussed politics as well as education. This dinner became the first controversy of Roosevelt’s new presidency.
A reporter for the Washington Post, after looking at the day’s guest list, wrote in his column the next day that “Booker T. Washington, of Tuskegee, Ala., dined with the President last evening.” It didn’t take long for the telegrams to spread the news. Many of the Blacks and liberal whites reacted favorably. One telegraph called it the “Greatest step for a race in a generation.” Yet many Blacks in the South were critical of Washington accepting Roosevelt’s invitation. They felt it might hurt their struggle for equality rather than help it. For the first time in history, the President’s wife was even the subject of what was considered a tasteless and shocking cartoon (which backfired on the Democrats who were blasted with criticism).
Several Southern white newspapers and congressmen felt that the act of having a Black man to dinner at the White House was unforgivable. The Richmond News claimed that “At one stroke, and by one act, he has destroyed the kindly, warm regard and personal affection for him which were growing up fast in the South.” The Memphis Scimitar printed a similar outrage: “The most damnable outrage ever which has ever been perpetrated by any citizen of the United States. . . No Southern woman with a proper self-respect would now accept an invitation to the White House, nor would President Roosevelt be welcomed in Southern homes.”
But Senator “Pitchfork Ben” Tillman of South Carolina had a no-holds barred, even more hateful retort: “Entertaining that n**** would necessitate our killing a thousand n****s in the South before they will learn their place again.”
Hate mail and death threats swamped the White House and Tuskegee. Many in the South considered this dinner crossing the line by encouraging racial mixing and social equality for Blacks. They felt Booker T. was fine in his place, but he had to know his place. Some even felt he deserved to die because he had dared to dine at the wrong table. A group of angry racists pooled their money to hire an assassin.(1) Congressman Thomas Heflin of Alabama went so far as to say, “If some Czolgosz had thrown a bomb under the table” where the presidential family sat Booker T. Washington, “no great harm would have been done the country.”
TR had entertained Blacks before, at the governor’s mansion and at Sagamore Hill, and he told a friend, “No one could possibly be as astonished as I was,”(2) at the reaction to this dinner. But he admitted he had made a political blunder and feared it might have compromised Booker T.’s influence in the South. He said he felt “melancholy” about the depth of race hatred the incident uncovered.(3) TR remained in contact with Booker T. and they continued to work closely together.
Though Roosevelt claimed he would have his Black adviser to dine at the White House any time he wanted, he never had him, or any other Black man, to dinner at the White House again: “Although the controversy eventually died down, its impact shaped White House politics for decades. No Black person would be invited to dinner at the White House again for nearly thirty years.”(4)
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In 1904, Democrats in the Solid South, in their attempt to take votes away from Roosevelt, distributed buttons with him and Booker T. dining at a table together with the words “Equality.” |
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President Roosevelt finally visited Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee in 1905. |
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(1) Guest of Honor, p. 229. The Black hit man was injured when he jumped off the train and was treated by doctors and nurses at Tuskegee. They were so kind to him that he changed his mind and quietly slipped out of town.
(2) TR to J. Strachey, Nov. 20, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt Papers, Library of Congress.
(3) TR to Joseph B. Bishop, Oct. 21, 1901, Bishop Papers, Houghton.
(4) Quoted from The Black History of the White House, p. 256.
Main source:
Davis, Deborah. Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner that Shocked a Nation. New York: Atria Books, 2012.
Other sources:
Amos, James E. Theodore Roosevelt: Hero to His Valet. New York: John Day, 1927.
Brands, H.W. T.R.: The Last Romantic. New York: Basic Books, 1997.
Daily, Maceo Crenshaw, Jr. An Easy Alliance: Theodore Roosevelt and Emmett Jay Scott, 1900-1919. Essay from Theodore Roosevelt : Many-Sided Man. Edited by Natalie A. Naylor, Douglas Brinkley, and John Allen Gable. Prepared under the auspices of Hofstra University. New York: Heart of the Lakes Publishing, 1992.
Dalton, Kathleen. Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life. New York: Random House, 2002.
Donald, Aida D. Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt. New York: Basic Books, 2007.
Lusane, Clarence. The Black History of the White House. San Francisco, City Light Books, 2011.
Miller, Nathan. Theodore Roosevelt: A Life. New York: William Morrow, 1992.
Morris, Edmund. Theodore Rex. New York: Random House, 2001.
Pringle, Henry F. Theodore Roosevelt. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1931, 1956.
Ward, Geoffrey C. and Burns, Ken. The Roosevelts: An Intimate History. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2014.
Washington, Booker T. Up From Slavery. Norwalk, Connecticut, The Heritage Press, 1970. Originally published 1901.
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Nature Corner
by Charlotte Miska
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Butterflies
In addition to visitors swarming the Park, butterflies are too. It is always lovely to see these delicate creatures floating from flower to flower. They are both graceful and beautiful. Butterflies play a variety of roles in Native American folktales. For some tribes, butterflies represent change and balance; in others, ephemeral beauty; and in some, vanity and frivolous behavior. Many tribes consider butterflies to be symbols of good luck, and some have taboos against killing them. Blackfoot people associate butterflies with sleep and dreaming, and butterfly designs were used to decorate cradleboards and other children's items to help them sleep and bring them good dreams. Butterflies are important pollinators. Most plants need a pollinator to reproduce. Due to the decline in bee populations, the butterfly as pollinator is more important than ever. Shown below are just three species recently seen in the Park. Next time you visit, see how many species you can identify.
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FOSH Update
by Ginny Perrell
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The Friends of Sagamore Hill held its most recent board meeting outdoors on August 20, at the picnic area, behind the old Visitor Center. All of our board members were present except David Robbins, who is recuperating from surgery. We are pleased to report that David is getting stronger every day. He was able to join us by phone. And, yes, given that we are a small group social distancing was a breeze.
A few highlights from the meeting will follow, but first I want to say how nice it was to be able to see everyone in person after five months of meeting by conference call. First on the agenda was the reading of the minutes and then the Treasurer’s Report. We are doing well financially, but our membership has begun to shrink a little. We discussed how we might reach out and try to draw new members. Luckily, we have Brian Tadler to figure out creative ways to use our Instagram presence to generate interest. Check us on Instagram (@FriendsofSagamoreHill) regularly to see what’s on our page and “like“ us!
Speaking of Brian, we are all looking forward to the September 17th Book Talk he has arranged which will pair Susan Berfield and Clay Risen discussing Susan’s new book The Hour of Fate – Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and the Battle to Transform American Capitalism. We also expect a surprise guest to pop in. We hope you will join us for this event, which is free and open to all. So far there are over 100 people attending. (See article below for details on how to sign up.)
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To thank Brian for all his efforts and to recognize the dedication and enthusiasm he has brought to our group, we presented him with a special gift. He received a framed copy of the well-known “Man in the Arena “quote from TR’s speech at the Sorbonne in 1910. He was also presented one of our t-shirts wearing teddy bears. On the right is a photo of Brian with his well-deserved gifts.
Other news from the Friends involves board member Joe DeFranco taking the lead in applying for and submitting our first ever grant request! If accepted we will receive the sum of $7,500 from the Gardiner’s Foundation to put towards the conservation of the Cape Buffalo in the main hallway of the TRH. Joe researched, collected, and filled out all the necessary forms, coordinating input from Sue, the conservator and Howard Ehrlich of the TRA, our parent organization. Upon a panel review, a decision will be made sometime mid-November. We should be notified by November 30th of their decision. Thank you for all your hard work on this and on every task, large or small you do for the FOSH, Joe.
Our next meeting is scheduled for September 15th at 6:15 pm at the same location. Should that not be possible, we will meet elsewhere or via conference call.
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FOSH Online Book Discussion |
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Friends of Sagamore Hill is entering the virtual world by hosting an online book discussion on September 17, 2020 at 7 pm with authors Susan Berfield, author of the recently published, The Hour of Fate, Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan and the Battle to Transform American Capitalism, and Clay Risen, the author of The Crowded Hour, a book published last year about TR, the Rough Riders, and American Foreign Policy. Many of you will remember Clay Risen's engaging conversation with Former Congressman Steve Israel at the Book Revue in Huntington last September. There will also be a guest appearance by Joe Wiegand, renowned Theodore Roosevelt reprisor.
To attend, please submit your RSVP to Brian Tadler, a FOSH Board Member and Sagamore Hill volunteer, at btadler@yahoo.com.
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The Rough Writer is Available Online |
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You can find the Rough Writer on the Friends of Sagamore Hill website. Simply select the MORE ABOUT TR menu and click Rough Writer Newsletter. You will go to a page that lists the Rough Writer issues starting with January 2020. Back issues are now readily available for your reading pleasure. Thank you Patrick Teubner for making this happen. |
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Answers: What and Where is it? |
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The objects Heather Heckel included in her drawings:
1. “Sagamore Hill” embroidered bureau scarf – Linen Closet
2. Minton blue vase – Drawing Room on the mantle
3. Eagle on the front door
4. Red and white floral pitcher – Family/Red Bathroom next to sink
5. Frog figurine/toothpick holder with mouth open – Boys Room on the table (not original)
6. Spode George Washington figurine - Drawing Room on the what not/etagere
7. Animal figurines – Boys Room on the table (not original)
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This newsletter is produced by members of the Volunteer Advisory Board for the volunteers of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. |
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Proofreader
Susan Sarna
Laura Cinturati
Layout
Charlotte Miska
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Contributors
Lindsay Davenport
Milton Elis
Nancy Hall
Charlotte Miska
Ginny Perrell
Susan Sarna
Toby Selda
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Comments?
Nancy Hall, Editor
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The National Park Service cares
for the special places saved by
the American people so that all may
experience our heritage.
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About Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, located in Oyster Bay, New York, is a unit of the National Park Service. The Site was established by Congress in 1962 to preserve and interpret the structures, landscape, collections and other cultural resources associated with Theodore Roosevelt’s home in Oyster Bay, New York, and to ensure that future generations understand the life and legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, his family and the significant events associated with him.
(516) 922-4788.
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