New York (State)--Oyster Bay--Sagamore Hill National Historic Site

President Roosevelt bows to J. P. Morgan, who is departing from Sagamore Hill after their visit. Morgan attorney Charles Steele and Chair of the Republican National Committee George B. Cortelyou escort Morgan to a small boat which will carry him to his yacht “Corsair” in the distance. Cortelyou carries a carpet bag of money initialed “J.P.M.” Morgan has “Knox’s scalp” tied to his belt, along with a note, “No more buttin’ in. T.R.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-02

A large band holds a “You’re It” sign and waves a “notification committee” flag. President Roosevelt holds the string to a cannon full of weapons, “the big stick,” and the “Roosevelt Monroe Doctrine” that is attached to a Republican elephant’s back. The elephant holds onto a “Sagamore Hill” sign and wears a “and Fairbanks” tag on its tails.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-07-23

Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon brings President Roosevelt a “notification of nomination for president G. O. P. seal.” Cannon stands near the “Sagamore Hill” sign and wears a “Notification Committee” decoration. “T. R. his axe” is lodged in a tree.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-07-28

Alton B. Parker tries to drive a cart with a Democratic donkey, a Tammany tiger, and a populist goat. A “Sagamore” steamer and a “Rosemount” farm house are in the background.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-08-21

“Gen Loeb” lies on the ground beside a small hill that President Roosevelt stands on. There is a lowered flag that has “positively no admittance.” He hands a sword to a member of the “United Mine Workers Association.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-07-16

President Roosevelt talks on the phone as he sweats profusely. A boy puts a telegram on his desk that reads, “Telegram: Pres. Roosevelt: ‘Bears on the run in Druid Hill Park: Killed one Monday.’ Police Sergt. Smith. Baltimore.” Secretary of War Elihu Root is followed by “department clerks,” bearing “important business” papers. In another section of the trees are “Hoi polloi with cameras and curiosity.” Finally, a group of “office seekers with recommendations and hopes” walk toward Roosevelt. Caption: The president is enjoying a much needed rest.

Comments and Context

Walter Bradford drew this cartoon in his best emulation of a John T. McCutcheon theme and various figures. It would seem to suggest a major point, perhaps about office-seekers, or the particular demands of Secretary of War Elihu Root, or frustrations borne of news about a the shooting of a bear (an occasional pastime of President Theodore Roosevelt) not long after the incident that gave birth to the Teddy Bear legend.

In fact it was a garden-variety, summer-vacation cartoon, merely illustrating Roosevelt’s possible distractions at a time when presidents, and most of official Washington, tried to enjoy leisure. The cable about the bear has no more interest than a local reference to an incident in Druid Hill Park, in Baltimore, home to Bradford’s newspaper. 

A woman holding a “Mother Jones” sign and a “labor problem” pitchfork rides a Republican elephant that rings the doorbell at President Roosevelt’s gate at Sagamore Hill. A sign reads, “Sagamore Hill: Positively no admission, except by invitation. T. R.” There are various signs attached to the elephant: “Ohio sandstone ring,” “postal scandal,” “Littauer glove scandal,” and “custom house frauds.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-07-29

President Roosevelt has a “Hunting in South Africa” book slung across his shoulder as he aims his gun at various wooden cutouts of animal targets. He says, “Oh, it’s a shame.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

The publication date of this cartoon by Clifford Kennedy Berryman helps explain the subtexts of the subject — why, at the commencement of a busy presidential campaign, President Roosevelt was taking target practice at Sagamore Hill.

Secret Service Chief John E. Wilkie informs William Loeb that all the preparations for President Roosevelt’s trip to Oyster Bay have been made, and that there is a sufficient detail to protect Roosevelt while he is there.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-30

Postmaster General Cortelyou confirms receipt of President Roosevelt’s letter about his talk with New Zealand Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward, and mentions his own interesting talk he had with Ward while he was in Washington, D.C.. Cortelyou mentions that shortly after taking office he had begun working on some portions of the”international postage scheme,” but that they were not received favorably by Great Britain at the time. He will update Roosevelt on what progress has been made when he sees him in Oyster Bay.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-09

An article reports that at a dinner for the Boone and Crockett Club, President Roosevelt said that if Secretary of War William H. Taft is elected, he intends to spend the first year of his presidency abroad, so he could not criticize him. The article also reports on the Roosevelt family’s relocation to Sagamore Hill for the summer.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-12

Oscar S. Straus, president of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, presides over the ceremony transferring ownership of Sagamore Hill from the Theodore Roosevelt Association to the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service. Speakers include the Chair of the Sagamore Hill Committee Bertha Bartlett Benkard Rose, Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall, and Director Emeritus of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Hermann Hagedorn. Straus and Rose speak on the work the Theodore Roosevelt Association has done since its establishment, particularly the effort to restore Sagamore Hill to the condition it was in during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. Udall praises the contributions Roosevelt made in urging the nation to conserve its natural resources, looking to the good of future generations. Hagedorn reminisces about Roosevelt’s character and hopes that visitors to this historic home will understand what made Roosevelt great and take that lesson to heart. Udall concludes the ceremony by assuring attendees that the National Park Service will care well for the site, and by signing the order officially establishing the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace and Sagamore Hill National Historic Sites.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association

Creation Date

1963-07-08

Lyman M. Tondel Jr., Vice President of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, presents Laurance Spelman Rockefeller with the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal for his efforts in the field of conservation and the promotion of outdoor activities in the United States. Hermann Hagedorn, executive director of the Association, introduces Rockefeller. Rockefeller speaks briefly about his work on the Outdoor Recreation Report, and discusses both the need to promote the creation of open spaces for people to use in their everyday life, as well as the challenges associated with this. Tondel reads several congratulatory telegrams, and additional brief addresses are given by Anne Lyon Haight, who honors Oscar S. Straus’s tenure as President of the Theodore Roosevelt Association; Ronald F. Lee of the National Park Service, who speaks about the recent transfer of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace site and Sagamore Hill to the National Park Service; and New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association

Creation Date

1963-10-27

This film includes a number of quotations from Theodore Roosevelt about his home at Sagamore Hill, as well as images of both the interior and exterior of his home. Additionally, this item includes film clips of Roosevelt on the property surrounding his house and in the community of Oyster Bay, New York, and highlights his love of family.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association

Creation Date

Unknown

This motion picture dramatizes a visit of a troop of Boy Scouts to the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site. A young boy who is not a scout joins the troop for their visit, and they are all inspired by the way that the young Theodore Roosevelt improved his physical fitness, and later took on adventures that brought him around the world to Africa and South America.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association

Creation Date

Unknown

Silent color film showing the dedication of Theodore Roosevelt’s home, Sagamore Hill, as a national shrine on June 14, 1953. Speakers at the dedication include President Dwight D. Eisenhower, former President Herbert Hoover, New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, and Leonard W. Hall, Chair of the Republican National Committee. Also present at the dedication were singer William Warfield, members of the Roosevelt family, representatives of scouting troops, and a brass band.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association

Creation Date

1953-06-14

This film includes brief shots of Japanese Prime Minister Nobosuke Kishi throwing out a pitch at Yankee Stadium and planting cherry trees at Sagamore Hill with Theodore Roosevelt Association President Oscar S. Straus. Following these is an interview with Kishi regarding his experiences during a trip through the United States and the differences between the United States and Japan.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association

Creation Date

1957

After a brief presentation of Theodore Roosevelt’s biography accompanied by photographs, this item presents video clips, provided by the News Magazine Library, of Theodore Roosevelt after leaving the presidency. These clips include scenes of traveling during his safari in Africa, making speeches during the first World War, and speaking at Sagamore Hill. Additionally, there is a brief walking tour of several rooms in Sagamore Hill, including the sitting room, nursery, dining room, trophy room, and library.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association

Creation Date

Unknown

John Lewis Childs sends President Roosevelt details regarding various species of birds and their behaviors. Childs admits he was wrong, and the president right, about the nesting habits of the Long-eared vs. Short-eared owl. Childs describes a trip wherein he showed John Burroughs the nesting sites of a Brown Thrasher, and a Spotted Sandpiper, both incubating eggs. Childs compliments Roosevelt on the accuracy of his observations and description of a flock of passenger pigeons at Pine Knot, especially considering how busy he must be. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-06-20

A contract between Assemblyman Roosevelt and carpenter John A. Wood & Son to complete first floor beams, shingles on roof and sides, plastering, stairs, and the mantle, among other projects, at Sagamore Hill.

Collection

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site

Creation Date

1884-03-01