First Lady of the World

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December 10, 2022

Yesterday was an amazing day at FDR’s home and his Presidential Library & Museum. Today we’ll continue the Hyde Park experience at Eleanor Roosevelt’s Val-Kill country cottage. Although we did make another stop on our second day in Hyde Park, that will have to wait. Eleanor deserves a post of her own!

Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
To start at the beginning of this series, visit Bay State Getaway 2022.

Day Two, Part One

After last night’s great dinner and music cruise, we took our airbnb hostess’s suggestion to have a breakfast sandwich at Rhinebeck Bagels. It was right along our route, and a delicious source of sustenance for another busy day. We had hoped to visit Val-Kill yesterday, but FDR’s portion of this trip ran long. I guess a President elected to four terms during one of the most tumultuous times in U.S. history can do that!

“Get to know Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the United States, activist, and one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century. As wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she played a key role in leading the nation through two national crises, the Great Depression and World War II. Through her activism and post-war diplomacy, she played a key role in the development of civil and human rights for all people.” ~ READ MORE

Welcome to Val-Kill

Since we wanted to get in line for the next tour, we drove up through the beautiful entrance without stopping to take any pictures – an oversight easily remedied on the way out. The Visitor Center was located in the Stone Cottage, and our short wait gave us an opportunity to visit a small museum dedicated to Val-Kill Industries.

Val-Kill Industries

FDR purchased this land in 1911. The banks of its lovely river provided many years of picnics for Franklin, Eleanor and their six children. In 1926, Eleanor and her friends Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman built its first structure – a small cottage (above), so they could enjoy the country all year-round. Fieldstone gathered from stone walls on the estate provided a sturdy exterior and the oak floor boards were harvested from local trees. The threesome named the property Val-Kill, which in Dutch translates to Waterfall Stream.

< “When women unite their interests, I think it is safe to say that something historically important will happen.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt, 1940

Eleanor, Marion, and Nancy had many lively discussions, given their mutual dedication to social reform and progressive politics. On one occasion they imagined a small industry that could teach new skills to workers at family-owned farms, thereby providing them with extra income between harvests or during economic downturns.

They decided to build the cottage, and a workshop at the same time. Financed with the women’s income, Val-Kill Industries was created. It employed furniture makers, finishers, metal crafters, and weavers – producing a wide range of goods for the retail market – some of which were purchased for the “Chintz Room” at Springwood (see Hyde Park Overnight).

“Val-Kill Industries closed in 1936 and Eleanor Roosevelt converted the factory into a residence for her personal use. The cottage became the nucleus of Franklin and Eleanor’s overlapping network of friends and associates. It was a place to entertain friends, political associates, and foreign leaders in a relaxed, Roosevelt style. Eleanor wrote many of her 27 books, 2,500 articles, and over 550 columns here. Politicians journeyed here to seek her support and advice.

Following FDR’s death in 1945, Val-Kill became Eleanor Roosevelt’s primary home. At Val-Kill, she surrounded herself with family and friends and hosted individuals who shared her diverse interests, including national and world leaders, activists, students, and local youth and students.” ~ CLICK for a Virtual Tour of Val-Kil.

A Home of Her Own

Born in 1884 in New York City, Eleanor was an orphan by age ten. She went to live with her grandmother in Tivoli, New York and was educated by private tutors until the age of 15, when she was sent to a school for girls in England. In 1905, she married Franklin and moved into his family home (with his mother).

Val-Kill looks so homey and warm. This was Eleanor’s very first home of her own and she treasured it, saying, “If beauty is good for the soul, then I wish I could have taken the whole world to walk with me early Saturday morning in the woods at Hyde Park. These visions of sheer beauty make one wonder why we human beings make so much that is not beautiful in the world.” ~ January 26, 1949

A Table of Significance

< The little round table in the corner of the room is where John Fitzgerald Kennedy sat with Eleanor and asked for her support in his upcoming run for president.

“In 1960, the person who represented the liberal wing of the party was Eleanor Roosevelt. Roosevelt had her favorite candidate in the 1960 election, and it wasn’t Kennedy. She was well-known to prefer Adlai Stevenson or Hubert Humphrey, who were also in the mix for the nomination. But despite her initial reservations, President Kennedy would make significant overtures to the former first lady after the convention, and eventually visit her in Hyde Park. It was after this meeting that Eleanor Roosevelt endorsed the young candidate Kennedy, and even put out the following political ad during the campaign.

ELEANOR: John F. Kennedy came to visit me at Hyde Park. We talked together, and I learned that he was truly interested in carrying on many of the things which my husband had just begun. Mr. Kennedy is a strong and determined person who, as president, will provide the leadership for greater Social Security benefits, which the social welfare of a civilized nation demands. I urge you to study Mr. Kennedy’s programs, to look at his very remarkable record in Congress, and I think you will join in voting for John F. Kennedy for president.” ~ READ MORE

After his victory, President Kennedy reappointed Eleanor to the U.S. Delegation to the U.N. (a position she had held under President Truman). Later JFK appointed her to the National Advisory Committee of the Peace Corps and chair of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women. Mrs. Roosevelt became a recognized leader in promoting humanitarian efforts. Click on the link just above to read more about her relationship with JFK.

Cutting Garden

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. What tour would be complete without flowers?!

The Playhouse – Media Room

The Playhouse was built in 1928. It was later adapted to a forge and metal-working shop for Val-Kill Industries. Today it houses several excellent displays and another movie, and is set at the edge of the property’s fantastic garden. We were a bit late in the season to enjoy the rose bushes in all their glory.