Archeological Investigations of the Sagamore Hill Firing Range And Stable and Lodge Site

Editorial of Theodore Roosevelt during his summer rest periods at Sagamore Hill.

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site Curatorial Department

Archeological Investigations of the Sagamore Hill Firing Range And Stable and Lodge Site

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site

Village of Cove Neck, Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York

Northeast Archeological Resources Program
National Park Service

2021

Sagamore Hill National Historical Site is located in Oyster Bay, New York on the northern shore of Long Island. Theodore Roosevelt built a home on the property in 1885 that was occupied by his family until 1948 when his wife Edith Kermit Carow passed away. Between 1901 and 1909 Sagamore Hill served as the Summer White House. In addition to building the grand mansion on the top of the hill, Roosevelt purchased the property with the intention of operating a portion of it as a working farm including pasture, tilled fields, and orchards. Roosevelt lived at Sagamore Hill from 1880 until his death in 1919. The property was his personal center, a place for renewal, and reflects his way of life and great love for family and home. The project will focus on questions pertaining to the archaeological resources related to the Stable and Lodge and the Firing Range that Roosevelt built on the property.

Numerous outbuildings were required for the operation of the farm at Sagamore Hill. One of the first buildings that Roosevelt had constructed to maintain the farm on the property was the stable and lodge built in 1883. The stable and lodge was built as one building, but it was to serve two functions: the stable was to store hay and grain and provide protection for the cows and horses while the lodge was to be the home of the caretaker. The stable and lodge burned in July 1944. In support of the parks goal of interpreting the Theodore Roosevelt farm landscape a section of the Stable and Lodge foundation will be exposed through controlled archaeological excavation. This project has the potential to provide information on the lodge tenants employment relationship to the Roosevelt family and will allow for a better understanding about how the site was occupied over time.

Theodore Roosevelt is quoted as saying “The Great body of our citizens shoot less as time goes on. We should encourage rifle practice among schoolboys and indeed among all classes …” Roosevelts daughter Ethel in an interview remembered a “Target and Rifle Pit” in a ravine southeast of the house. Questions we hope to answer include: Where is the firing range and how big was it? Are there non-munition related artifacts related to the firing range? Are there artifact scatters present that could be used to reconstruct the firing range? What guns were being fired by Roosevelt and his family? Systematic metal detection of the firing range has been identified as the most efficient means to gather the desired data. Investigation of the firing range will provide a tangible location for visitors to connect to and better understand of our 26th president.

Archeological fieldwork, originally scheduled for 2020, was delayed by COVID-19 but now is scheduled for spring of 2021. Planning for the 2021 fieldwork is ongoing. In addition to excavation and archeological research, we hope to also provide significant opportunities for local communities to be a part of the project and research goals. Anyone interested in learning more about the project can contact archeologist Joel Dukes, [e-mail], with the NPS Northeast Archeological Resources Program.