Category Archives: Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace (NPS)

Thinking of Charles P. Summerall on Memorial Day

30 Monday May 2016

Posted by in Governors Island, Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace (NPS)

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As I mentioned the other day I could not make it out to Governors Island this weekend because I have some things I must catch up on. I’m sure they’re having way too much fun out there. I thought I would do the next best thing and mark Memorial Day by recognizing one of the great men to have passed through the island: Charles P. Summerall. I wrote about his frequent visits to the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace two years ago. The top photograph was taken on September 22, 1937 at a reunion of the Society of the First Division. The 16th Infantry Regiment re-enacted the 1918 Battle of Fleville that afternoon, and later that evening there was a banquet at the Hotel Pennsylvania overseen by Colonel Theodore (Ted) Roosevelt. The images of his headstone were taken in Arlington Cemetery last month.

I am out the door in a few minutes to get some things done. Whatever you do today, stop and remember this Memorial Day.

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top image/A Seventeen-gun salute was accorded General Charles P. Summerall, retired (center, hat on chest), when he returned to Governor Island to see the re-enactment of the Battle of Fleville today. General Summerall was a war-time commander of the First Division. (Photo by Anthony Calvacca / (c) NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty Images)

 

Progress at the TRB

21 Sunday Feb 2016

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I was in the city this morning meeting a friend for brunch. Afterwards, we were headed somewhere else when I realized we were just a block from the Roosevelt Birthplace on East 20th Street. I had not been past since it closed last April and naturally had to swing by and check things out. Work seems to be progressing on the outside of the house. When I know more about the re-opening, I will keep everyone up-to-date.

Kansas City 1921

04 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by in Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace (NPS)

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american legion reviewing standI came across the image above the other day via the Kansas City Star. The photograph was taken in that city at the American Legion Convention in November 1921. They are hard to make out but the VIPs on the podium are none other than General Jacques of Belgium, General Armando Diaz of Italy, Vice President Calvin Coolidge, Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France, General Pershing, and British Admiral David Beatty. The photo cuts off whatever is on the far left, which is unfortunate because everyone including the big shots are looking in that direction. Of everyone present I find Foch’s presence the most interesting; later that same month he visited the still-under-reconstruction Roosevelt House on East 20th Street here in New York City. As I always point out to people at the TRB, he was on a grand tour modeled after Lafayette’s 1824-25 visit.

I searched a few online sources to see if Ted Roosevelt was present in KC for the convention. He appears not to have been, which makes sense as he was Harding’s Assistant Navy Secretary by this time. He had been in Missouri, in St. Louis, for the Legion’s founding convention two years previously. I assume these conventions were held where they were because these cities were located in the center of the country and thus easy to get to via railroad. KC is an important American city when it comes to the First World War. Theodore Roosevelt wrote for the Star for much of 1917 until his death in early 1919. So did Hemingway until he left for Italy in early 1918. Pershing was from there, which is why the Liberty Memorial and now the National World War I Museum and Memorial are in Kansas City. I have been to the Liberty Memorial once before and would love to get back during the centennial.

(image/Kansas City Star)

TRA Boston

01 Thursday Oct 2015

Posted by in Libraries, Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace (NPS)

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Nora Cordingley worked here at the NYPL in the early 1920s before taking a position at Roosevelt House in 1923.

Nora Cordingley worked here at the NYPL in the early 1920s before taking a position at Roosevelt House in 1923 and then moving to Massachusetts twenty years later.

The Theodore Roosevelt Association’s annual conference is this weekend in Boston. Alas I will not be attending this year. I was talking to a friend the other day, an individual who is quite knowledgeable about Roosevelt, and mentioned to her that Boston is an ideal place to discuss TR and his legacy. Harvard, Alice Hathaway Lee, and Henry Cabot Lodge are all big parts of Theodore Roosevelt’s story with their roots in The Hub. Working on the article I submitted last week, I came across an individual I had never heard of previously: Nora E. Cordingley.

Ms. Cordingley was a Canadian-American who ended up working at the New York Public Library in the early 1900s. In 1923 she took a job at Roosevelt House working under director Hermann Hagedorn. She was there for two full decades; when the Roosevelt Collection moved from East 20th Street to Harvard University in 1943 she moved to Cambridge along with the collection. I was at NYPL a few weeks ago and asked the reference librarian if she had ever heard of Cordingley. She had not. The ref librarian added that NYPL had a training course in the early 1900s–this presumably in the years prior to one’s receiving an MLS from an ALA-accredited school–and that Cordingley may have been here in New York to receive this education. Then, if this is indeed the narrative, after her education and training she moved on to the Roosevelt collection that the RMA was building on East 20th Street.

Cordingley was dedicated to her job. Sadly she died in the Widener Library of a heart attack in March 1951 while editing Roosevelt’s letters. These were the letters that were published in eight volumes in the 1950s under the direction of Elting Morison. Cordingley’s is a moving story that I now think about each time I look up a Roosevelt missive in the set.

A signed Roosevelt Memorial edition

19 Saturday Sep 2015

Posted by in Libraries, Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace (NPS), Theodore Roosevelt Jr (President)

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IMG_2700Here is something you don’t see every day. I was at the New York Public Library today doing some research. The book I am holding here is volume 1 of the Memorial Edition of Theodore Roosevelt’s collected works. For those who may not know their TR, Colonel Roosevelt authored over thirty books in his lifetime. I wrote a Facebook post for the TRB page about a year ago. Hermann Hagedorn edited Roosevelt’s books in the mid-1920s. The collected works were then published in two versions, a limited-run Memorial Edition and a larger National Edition for the general public.

There were 1050 sets of the Memorial Edition. This is 629. What really drew my attention is that it is signed by Edith Roosevelt, Theodore’s wife. This thing has been part of the NYPL collection for 90+ years now. It’s amazing to hold such a thing in your hands.

Sagamore Hill set to reopen

10 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by in National Park Service, Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace (NPS)

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index.phpYesterday’s New York Times had a write-up about Sunday’s reopening of Sagamore Hill. I will probably visit sometime in early fall. Like the restoration of the Lee Mansion in Arlington that took place a few years ago, much of the Sagamore restoration work was gritty and unglamorous. It was about the infrastructure–electricity, duct work, cleaning the taxidermy–and things of that nature. Sexy or not that is what needs to be done to keep such treasures functioning for future generations. The latest rehabilitation is now itself a part of the story of the 130-year-old home.

The excitement around Sagamore has been building for months. We certainly talked about it with visitors at the Roosevelt Birthplace on a daily basis.

Find your Park.

(image/Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. “Sagamore Hill, home of President Theodore Roosevelt at Oyster Bay, L. I.” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e4-83e5-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99)

Thinking of the French this 4th

04 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by in Governors Island, New York City, Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace (NPS)

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The Marquis de Lafayette arrived in Castle Garden, also called Castle Clinton in 1824. Today this is a unit of the National Park Service.

The Marquis de Lafayette arrived in Castle Garden, also called Castle Clinton in 1824. Today this is a unit of the National Park Service.

On my tours at the Roosevelt Birthplace I always told the story of Marshal Ferdinand Foch’s 1921 visit to the site, which was then still under reconstruction. The Great War had been over for three years and Foch was on East 20th Street paying his respects to Theodore and Quentin Roosevelt. Many of you will know that young Airman Quentin died in France on Bastille Day 1918. The wider story is that Foch was in the United States on a goodwill tour modeled in part on Marquis de Lafayette’s goodwill tour of 1824-25. Lafayette arrived in New York and landed at Castle Garden to great fanfare before venturing out across the still-young nation whose independence he had helped win.

One of the beautiful things about the Battery is its sense of the old and the modern, as this image of the castle with the Manhattan skyline attests.

One of the beautiful things about the Battery is its sense of the historic and the modern, as this image of the castle with the Manhattan skyline attests.

This all came back to me yesterday when, after the day at Governors Island, I ventured up to the South Street Seaport to see the Hermione. For those not aware, this is a reconstruction of the frigate that took Lafayette here. The ship sailed into New York earlier this week to mark the 4th of July. Interest was high and there were many people out enjoying the scene.

The Hermione docked at the South Street Seaport, July 2015

The Hermione docked at the South Street Seaport, July 3, 2015

One of the most symbolic acts of the Great War took place on a Fourth of July. In 1917 members of the 16th Infantry Regiment led a contingent that included General Pershing on a five mile march ending at Lafayette’s tomb at Picpus Cemetery. The arrival of the Americans in summer 1917, though largely symbolic at this point in the war, could not have come a better time for the flagging morale of the French people. It was at Lafayette’s grave that Colonel Charles E. Stanton said the famous line: “Nous sommes ici, Lafayette.”

As the caption on this old photograph indicates, Colonel Stanton's famous words are often misattributed to John Pershing. General Pershing was in attendance and had previously approved Colonel Stanton's speech, including its most famous line. The 16th Infantry, part of the First Infantry Division, had led the highly publicized march.

As the caption on this old photograph indicates, Colonel Stanton’s words are often misattributed to John Pershing. General Pershing was in attendance however and had previously approved Colonel Stanton’s speech, including its most famous line. The 16th Infantry, part of the First Infantry Division, had led the highly publicized 4th of July march.

Happy 4th.

 

The Roosevelts’ Bowling Green

21 Thursday May 2015

Posted by in New York City, Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace (NPS)

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Bowling Green, looking North. The Cunard Building I wrote about the other day is on the left in the background.

Bowling Green, looking north. The Cunard Building I wrote about the other day is on the left between the truck and the bus.

One thing I always conveyed during my tours at the Roosevelt Birthplace was how far back the family goes here in the city. The Roosevelts trace their New York City roots back well over three centuries. Here is an example of that. I took these two images, one looking north and one south, of Bowling Green the other day. Most early New York City life took place in this vicinity. The Roosevelt & Son hardware concern, founded in the 1790s, was near here. Johannes Roosevelt, the patriarch to whom the Oyster Bay Roosevelts trace their lineage (as opposed to his brother Jacobus, who began the Hudson Valley Roosevelt line), was in business around these parts even earlier. Johannes was born around 1689 and worked as a merchant providing goods and services for the shipping industry.

Bowling Green, looking South. That is the Custom House in the distance.

Bowling Green, looking south. That is the Custom House in the background.

Bowling Green is called bowling green for a logical reason: people bowled here. Decades prior to the American Revolution Johannes and two associates received a public concession to operate and maintain this space. The nominal fee was one peppercorn a year.

A thank you to the rangers of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace

26 Sunday Apr 2015

Posted by in Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace (NPS)

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Yesterday was my final day at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site. It closes for renovation later this week. I was there a full eighteen months and can say that I have a deeper and more appreciative knowledge of American and international history than I did a year and a half ago. Much of this was due to the openness and generosity of the TRB rangers, especially Michael Amato and Daniel Prebutt.

Mike and Danny were always so welcoming to me. They allowed me be involved in many aspects of the site’s operations, not just giving tours but writing articles for the Facebook and website pages and helping in my own small way on other projects. An example was writing signage for the update of the Lower Museum Gallery. One of my favorite memories was commiserating behind the information desk after a tour and discussing the ins-and outs of the interpreter’s craft. Tailoring a talk to meet the expectations and interest level of the audience is so crucial. It was always exhilarating to see the swinging doors open and say hello to whoever was walking in. And they came across the country and around the world. Theodore Roosevelt is just that strong.

Just because I am no longer at the TRB doesn’t mean I am not continuing with the Roosevelts. The extended family is too much of a historian’s dream to do that. The Roosevelt Sr. book is moving along; I am also working on some things about Ted. The latter fits in well with the Great War Centennial. There is a lot of Roosevelt history at Governors Island that I will be focusing on this summer. These are just a few things.

I will miss the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace. Still, I leave with the good feeling of having learned and accomplished a great deal. I also have the memories of working with such talented and dedicated professionals as Mike and Dan. And for this I will always be grateful.

 

 

The Roosevelts’ Union Square, 150 years ago today

25 Saturday Apr 2015

Posted by in Civil War sesquicentennial, New York City, Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace (NPS), Theodore Roosevelt Jr (President)

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Lincoln's funeral procession passing Cornelius Roosevelt's house, 25 April 1865

Lincoln’s funeral procession passing Cornelius Roosevelt’s house, 25 April 1865

Some readers will remember this post from early January. I am posting it again this morning to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession passing through New York. Young Theodore Roosevelt and his brother Elliott were in the second story window watching the ceremony. Needless to say this is going to be a big part of my interp today. Today also happens to be my final day at the Roosevelt Birthplace. It is closing for an extensive renovation on May 1.

A few of us got talking yesterday afternoon at the TRB about the famous image of Theodore and Elliott watching Lincoln’s funeral from their grandparents’ window. This is a well-known photograph and very much part of both the Lincoln and Roosevelt iconography. Still, I had always had trouble visualizing the exact spot, in part because Broadway does not run a straight line but cuts diagonally through Union Square. It’s hard to visualize but the southwest corner of Broadway stands adjacent to the northeast corner of the southern tip of Union Square. See what I mean?

Anyways I printed out a NYT article about a building that stands today on this same property. Oddly enough, one of the rangers just wrote a Facebook post about 841 Broadway that will appear in the next week or so. With printed article in hand and a few scribbled notes I headed out after the 1:00 tour to get to the bottom of things.

My water-logged article

My water-logged article, complete with faulty map of Broadway

Looking south from Union Square, 14th Street and Broadway. Cornelius and Margaret Roosevelt's house stood where the white building is today.

Looking south from Union Square, 14th Street and Broadway. Cornelius and Margaret Roosevelt’s house stood where the glass, white building is today.

Here is the view looking north from 13th Street and Broadway.

Here is the view looking north from 13th Street and Broadway.

The building here in the foreground was built on the Roosevelt property in the 1890s. For more, here is a link to the article I pictured above. When I got back one of the rangers and I began investigating on Google maps and figured the funeral image was taken south of where I took this photo. I intend to do more digging but the Lincoln/Roosevelt photograph was taken at approximately 838 Broadway. If you know this area, that would be just north of the Strand Bookstore.

A detail on 841 Broadway:. Look closely above the arch. On the left is an R and on the right a B, which stand for Roosevelt Building.

A detail on 841 Broadway:. Look closely above the arch. On the left is an R and on the right a B, which stand for Roosevelt Building. Yes, that is falling snow that you see.

(funeral image/Dickinson State University and NPS)