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Plan & Research

Sagamore Hill

Sagamore Hill, home of Theodore Roosevelt, is located at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Oyster Bay, Long Island, N.Y. With a home for his large family, rooms for his books and trophies, and acres of land to enjoy, Teddy Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill estate was a near ideal place for the young, energetic president.

 

Sagamore Hill, Home of Theodore Roosevelt

Do you have an exhibit or furnishings project that is stalled because park staff are just too busy to do the research? Harpers Ferry Center can help. HFC curators have researched projects from forts to stores to saloons at parks from Alaska to the Virgin Islands. We have experience in all periods of American history, from the first settlements through the twentieth century. Most of our curators have advanced degrees in history, art or museum studies, so we are well equipped to research the most academic (or the most mundane) subject. We are located near Washington, D.C., so we have easy access to the Library of Congress and the National Archives. HFC researchers are skilled at mining the records at these federal repositories.

Why do research?

Why is it important to be accurate? Will visitors really know the difference between a well-researched exhibit and one without documentation? Do they care? An eight year old may not know the answer to seven times six or how to spell “history”, but the schoolchild (and parent) trusts the teacher to convey the correct information. As employees at National Park Service sites, we have the same obligation to provide accurate information. We hold a public trust; our covenant as public servants is to provide information to the American people that is as honest and accurate as possible. We have an obligation to do the best job that we can, especially if our visitors are not knowledgeable enough to know the difference, because our public trusts us to be accurate.

We are in a unique position in the Park Service. We have "the real stuff" at our parks. Our job is to enhance our irreplaceable resources with media based on accurate research. If we do not, we will lose our credibility as the guardians of American history.

Contact Us

Call or email us to request information on our object acquisition services, to get answers to technical questions, or to obtain cost estimates. Contact Deputy Associate Manager John Brucksch (John_Brucksch@nps.gov or 304-535-6119) or one of our other staff curators: Andy Chamberlain (Andy_Chamberlain@nps.gov or 304-535-6117); John Demer (John_Demer@nps.gov or 304-535-6037); Mary Grassick (Mary_Grassick@nps.gov or 304-535-6035); Sarah Heald (Sarah_Heald@nps.gov or 304-535-6134); Carol Petravage (Carol_Petravage@nps.gov or 304-535-6120).

 
Author: Harpers Ferry Center
Last Updated: Tuesday, 08-Nov-2005 10:04:13 Eastern Standard Time
http://www.nps.gov/hfc/products/furnish/furnish-plan.htm