Historic preservation--Citizen participation

Leslie G. Foschio explains how the home of Ansley Wilcox of Buffalo, New York, became, over time, the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. Foschio provides an overview of Roosevelt’s career, looks at the history of the Wilcox Mansion, and explores intersections in the lives of Roosevelt and Wilcox. Foschio documents how the house was saved from the wrecking ball more than once, and he details the efforts of local politicians and volunteers who rallied in the 1960s to save the home and secure it a place in the ranks of National Park Service sites.

A drawing of the Wilcox Mansion and an illustration of Roosevelt in a dynamic speaking pose supplement the text.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Obituary for Ethel Roosevelt Derby, Theodore Roosevelt’s eldest daughter, written by John A. Gable. Gable quotes from various newspapers reporting her death, describes the funeral service, and lists the all male pallbearers. In addition to naming her siblings and her own children, he describes Ethel’s service in World War I as a nurse and her long years of service to the American Red Cross. Gable details her work with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and her role in preserving Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.

 

Three photographs accompany the obituary: one shows Ethel Roosevelt as a child at the White House in 1902; another shows her with First Lady Rosalyn Carter at the White House in 1977 and the third shows the entire Theodore Roosevelt family (along with Congressman Nicholas Longworth) at the White House in an undated photo.