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The Pond Bridge
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Eleanor’s Walk Trail: The Pond Bridge Before this bridge was resurfaced, the wood planking made a very distinctive sound, a sound that came to be known as “Eleanor’s Doorbell.” The approaching cars alerted Eleanor Roosevelt that guests were arriving, and it was time to properly welcome them to her cherished home at Val Kill. Who would visit on this day? A Hyde Park neighbor? A grandchild? Or a foreign dignitary? All who entered were equally embraced by Eleanor’s warm, genuine hospitality. There was always something special about this spot. Eleanor and friends Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman picnicked here so often that FDR suggested they build a retreat on the bank of the Fall Kill stream. In 1926, the first structure was built at Val-Kill. FDR called it “the shack in the woods” he built for his wife. Val-Kill established itself as the gathering and recreation place for the Roosevelt family. The Roosevelts enjoyed outdoor activities, and Val Kill offered plenty of opportunities—tennis, horseback riding, swimming, and hiking on wooded trails. From where you stand you can see some of the buildings and structures, including the outdoor fireplace, where many a year-round cookout took place. Val Kill was established to commemorate and perpetuate the lifework of Eleanor Roosevelt and to preserve and interpret the place most central to her emergence as a public figure and champion of human rights. Since the 1930s, hundreds of visitors have crossed this bridge, and returned enriched from their experience of a day with the estate’s affable hostess. For as Eleanor, aptly known as the “first lady of the world” firmly believed… “True hospitality comes from the heart, and is not the product of ostentatious and expensive material surroundings.”
Description
Val-Kill established itself as the gathering and recreation place for the Roosevelt family. The Roosevelts enjoyed outdoor activities, and Val Kill offered plenty of opportunities—tennis, horseback riding, swimming, and hiking on wooded trails.
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NPS
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