Springwood: Birthplace and Home to Franklin D. Roosevelt

(National Park Service) T he house, situated in a landscaped clearing on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River, is a large, rambling structure faced with stucco and fieldstone. This is Springwood, birthplace and home of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It is the only place in the United States where a President was born, maintained a lifelong connection, and lies buried. Franklin Roosevelt had a strong and abiding connection with Springwood throughout his life. At the dedication of the home as a national historic site in 1946, Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Life here had always a healing quality for him...It is his life and his character and his personality which will live with us and which will endure and be imparted to those who come to see the surroundings in which he grew to maturity." Yet, as important as Springwood was to Franklin Roosevelt personally, it also speaks to people across time and space. Eleanor Roosevelt explained, "I think Franklin realized that the historic library, the house, and the peaceful resting place behind the high hedge with flowers blooming around it would perhaps mean something to the people of the United States. They would understand the rest and peace and strength which he had gained here and perhaps learn to come, and go away with some sense of healing and courage themselves."¹ ¹Olin Dows, Franklin Roosevelt at Hyde Park (New York: American Artists Group, Inc., 1949), 180.

TABLE OF CONTENTS About This Lesson Getting Started: Inquiry Question Setting the Stage: Historical Context Locating the Site: Maps 1. New York State and surrounding region 2. Springwood Determining the Facts: Readings 1. Early Years and Influences 2. Physical Challenge and the Road Ahead 3. A Political Life in an Era of Crisis 4. The International Scene at Hyde Park Visual Evidence: Images 1. Aerial view of Springwood 2. Springwood 3. WPA flood project, 1937 4. Roosevelts with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth 5. Four Freedoms poster Putting It All Together: Activities 1. Lifestyles 2. Remembering When Supplementary Resources

RELATED INFORMATION How to Use a TwHP Lesson Lessons on Related Topics TwHP Home National Register Home About the National Register How the National Register Helps Teachers Contact TwHP Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site This lesson is based on Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, one of the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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