February 2009 Events at Sagamore Hill

Date: January 15, 2009

As we continue to celebrate the Sesquicentennial of Theodore Roosevelt’s birth we are announcing some special activities for the month of February to mark this 150th observance.

Winter Nature Walks Feb. 1, 8, 15 and 22, Sunday Mornings

           On each Sunday of February (Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22) we are offering Winter Nature Walks. Meet at the Visitor Center at 9:30. Be sure to dress appropriately and wear sturdy foot wear. The walk begins at the Visitor Center the group will be led down our Nature Trail to the Cold Spring Harbor Inlet and will last for about an hour. There is no charge for these walks.

Celebrate Presidents Day Week End

Sagamore Hill Open on Presidents Day, Monday, February 16

           Sagamore Hill will be open for business on President’s Day, Monday, Feb. 16. During the winter, the home of Theodore Roosevelt, 26^th US President, is normally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and all Federal Holidays, but the site will be open for the usual hours on President’s Day: Tours of the home on the hour from 10 to 4; the Theodore Roosevelt Museum at Old Orchard, open from 10 to 4; and the Visitor Center and Bookstore are open from 9 to 5.

           Because President’s Day is a school holiday and children will be home for the day it provides an excellent opportunity for them to visit the home of Long Island’s most famous resident and to learn about Theodore Roosevelt, his home and family. The site is offering some especially developed activities for children who want to earn the National Park Service Junior Ranger Badge. These activities include:

• Theodore Roosevelt and His Sagamore Hill Home: Kids test their powers of observation by completing the Junior Ranger Activity Book following a tour of the home. Ask for the booklet at the time tour tickets is purchased; allow fifteen minutes to complete the activity. Books are scored and badges awarded at the Visitor Center.
• Theodore Roosevelt History Hunt at Old Orchard: Kids are history-detectives and look for answers to the questions in the Activity Booklet based on the exhibits in the museum. This activity takes twenty to thirty minutes to complete. Ask for the booklet at the information desk at Old Orchard where books are scored upon completion.
• Letterboxing Adventures at Sagamore Hill (Look up “letterboxing” on the internet for more information) is an outdoor family activity that introduces problem solving and orienteering (use of compass and directions).
• The Wonderbook of Natureis a field guide to selected species of plants and animals found on the site. Both Letterboxing and Wonderbook of Nature are outdoor activities and will only be offered if the weather permits

           Satisfactory completion of these activities will earn a child a Sagamore Hill Junior Ranger Badge. Please note that only one badge per child will be awarded, although kids are certainly welcome to complete several activities. Those students completing three or more activities will earn a special Sagamore Hill Junior Ranger patch.

           There is no cost for any of these programs and no charge for admission for kids 15 years and under; tour tickets for mom and dad are five dollars each and tickets are sold on a first-come-first-served basis for each day beginning at 9 AM. Tours of the home are limited to fourteen persons, are offered on the hour from 10 to 4.

           Celebrate President’s Day Week End by visiting your local Presidential Site, Sagamore Hill NHS, home of Theodore Roosevelt, 26^th US President. 

Celebrating Black History Month:

Podcast on Theodore Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington and Race Relations

           In celebration of Black History Month Sagamore Hill announces the posting of a podcast on Theodore Roosevelt, Booker T. Washington and Race Relations. Roosevelt was the first president to host an African American for dinner at the White House. The invitation issued by Roosevelt at the conclusion of a meeting was impromptu. Roosevelt was completely unprepared for the reaction of the press, particularly in the South, for his hosting of a distinguished educator. Southerners were outraged that he had entertained an African-American in the White House.

           In addition to the Booker T. Washington event there is a discussion of Roosevelt’s handling of the Brownsville, Texas Affair, in which African-American soldiers were accused of a riot on Aug. 13, 1906. Shots rang out and a white bartender was killed and a white police officer was wounded. In spite of evidence to the contrary, the 167 black soldiers of the 25^th were dishonorably discharged by Roosevelt. Since that time the dishonorable discharge has been overturned. Check the "Photos and Multimedia" section of our website to hear this podcast beginning in February.

           Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, located at 12 Sagamore Hill Road, Oyster Bay, New York, is a unit of the National Park Service. The site was established by Congress in 1962 to preserve and interpret the structures, landscape, collections and other cultural resources associated with Theodore Roosevelt’s home in Oyster Bay, New York, to ensure that future generations understand and appreciate the life and legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, his family and the significant events associated with him.