Theodore Roosevelt not only officially named the White House, the White House, he was also the first President who escaped Washington's summer heat to a "Summer White House," which for him was Sagamore Hill at Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY. With modern phone service TR was able to conduct his official duties. Initially, there were no phones at Sagamore Hill. The first and only phone in Oyster Bay was downtown at Snouder's Drug Store. Their phone line and soda fountain were both installed in the late 1880s. For years it was the only phone in town. When Roosevelt received an official call, it went to the drugstore. A kid on a bicycle would then pedal almost 3 miles up to Sagamore Hill to let TR know. If he wanted to respond, he would ride his horse back to the drug store. Because of the phone, Snouder's became the gathering spot for the press corps reporting on President Roosevelt. Eventually in 1902, Roosevelt succumbed to technology and had a phone line installed in the home. His number was OB 67, (Snouder's was OB 1). Roosevelt's children continued riding horses down to the drugstore, not for the phone but for ice cream.
Snouder's Drug Store
As a child, Roosevelt was sickly with asthma. The accepted treatments of the time included inhaling cigar smoke, drinking black coffee and escaping the foul air of the city to the fresh air of a coastal village like Oyster Bay. TR's parents were wealthy. They had both a townhouse in Manhattan, just north of Union Square, and a home outside Oyster Bay. Other Roosevelts had property in the area. In TR's mind at least, he largely overcame his asthma through personal discipline and strenuous exercise. Oyster Bay was part of his recovery. It had a special place in TR's heart. In 1880, he purchased 155 acres to eventually build his ideal home. Sagamore Hill is a 23-room Queen Anne Mansion perched on a hill with fabulous views. It was also a working farm with livestock, crops, and gardens both flowers and vegetables. Sagamore Hill was a fabulous "Summer White House" but also a family home filled with rambunctious children.
We will return to Sagamore Hill next week.
Take a walk with Birkenstock.
