As a child, Theodore Roosevelt spent summers with his family hiking, rowing, and enjoying the fresh air of Oyster Bay, Long Island.

When the future president grew up, he decided he wanted to live there.

In 1884, Roosevelt and his wife Alice bought 83 acres on Cove Neck and hired architects to design a Queen Anne-style home for the site. Unfortunately, Alice died two days after giving birth to their first child.

Two years later, Roosevelt remarried. He moved with his young daughter and new wife to Sagamore Hill. Eventually, five more children joined the family.

Roosevelt also took a job that required a move to Washington, D.C. During his two terms in office, Sagamore Hill served as the “summer white house,” where Roosevelt rested and hosted dignitaries.

After he left office, Roosevelt toured Africa for a year and then returned to Sagamore Hill. He died in the house in 1919.

At Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, you can tour Roosevelt’s 23-room home, furnished as it was during his presidency. A museum to the president is housed at Old Orchard, the home built for Roosevelt’s son, Ted. A nature trail winds through the park to the beach at Cold Spring Harbor.

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