Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site

10/06/2026

"I could never thank everyone, so I want to say here in my column the warmest thanks to all who have remembered my birthday, and my deep appreciation for the kind messages that have come from so many whom I have not even known personally."
- Eleanor Roosevelt in her My Day column, October 13, 1954
_________________

Sunday, October 11, marks Eleanor Roosevelt's 142nd birthday! The National Historic Sites of Hyde Park, NY are celebrating the occasion with a ceremony. It will begin at 3:00 PM on October 11 on the front lawn of the FDR Home at 4097 Albany Post Rd, Hyde Park, NY 12538.

Various community organizations are presenting wreaths. A guest speaker for the event will be Park Ranger Danielle Massaro. There will be cake and beverages following the event at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor Center, courtesy of the director of the FDR Presidential Library. The public is invited to attend.
_________________

Photo: Eleanor Roosevelt in Calgary, Canada - March 1949. Repository: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

09/28/2026

World War II Across America’s National Parks:
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, Eleanor Roosevelt was scheduled to interview a young U.S. Army corporal named James Cannon on her radio program titled Over Our Coffee Cups. By that afternoon, harrowing news was resounding throughout the United States of the air raids on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. President Franklin D. Roosevelt convened with officials immediately, and he needed the evening to formulate a plan for the nation. In the meantime, Eleanor found she could address the rising fears in the hearts of the American people. Keeping her radio timeslot, the First Lady framed the tragedy through personal realizations. She said the following words:

“Many of you, all over this country, have boys in the services who will now be called upon to go into action. You have friends and families in what has suddenly become a danger zone. You cannot escape anxiety, you cannot escape the clutch of fear at your heart, and yet I hope that the certainty of what we have to meet will make you rise above these fears.

We must go about our daily business, more determined than ever to do the ordinary things as well as we can, and when we find a way to do anything more in our communities to help others, to build morale, to give a feeling of security, we must do it. Whatever is asked of us, I'm sure we can accomplish it.

We are the free and unconquerable people of the United States of America.”
__________

The World War II Across America series continues with the theme of “The War at Home” highlighting national park sites connected to the rapid expansion of the war industry in the United States in the 1940s. Look to the skies for the next post brought to you by the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.



Image: Eleanor Roosevelt, broadcasting for President Franklin Roosevelt on his 63rd birthday, shown at the microphones at the White House with Basil O'Connor, Chairman of the National Infantile Paralysis Fund – January 30, 1945 – Credit: Harris & Ewing – Courtesy of the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum

09/21/2026

To commemorate 100 years of Val-Kill, the National Historic Sites of Hyde Park, NY and the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill will co-host the "Voices of Val-Kill: A Centennial Celebration". National Park Service rangers will moderate a panel discussion and there will be a screening of a historical video retrospective.

The event is FREE and will take place on September 26 at 2:00 PM at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum at 4079 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park, NY 12538. Registration is required. To learn more and to register, please visit the following website: https://ervk.org/voices-of-val-kill/
_______________

Val-Kill’s story began in 1926, when Eleanor Roosevelt and her friends Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman transformed an idea into an experiment in economic opportunity. On the Roosevelt family estate in Hyde Park, they established Val-Kill Industries, a business designed to provide local farmers and their families with additional income. At its heart was the creation of distinctive handcrafted furniture, produced in a workshop that formed the beginning of a remarkable new chapter in Eleanor Roosevelt’s life.

When Val-Kill Industries eventually closed, Eleanor transformed the former workshop into Val-Kill Cottage—first as a retreat and later as her permanent home. Here, away from the formality of the larger Roosevelt estate, she created her own space where she could write and welcome family and friends, entertain political leaders, activists, students, journalists, and visitors from around the world, and pursue the political and humanitarian causes that defined the final decades of her life.

After Eleanor Roosevelt’s death in 1962, however, Val-Kill’s future became uncertain. The Roosevelt family sold the property, and eventually the land was threatened by development. By the 1970s, the place that had been the setting for so much of her public and private life—was in danger of being lost.

A determined group of preservationists refused to let that happen. Testimony before the U.S. Senate ultimately unlocked the funds to save Val-Kill and led to its designation as a National Historic Site in 1977. In 1984, Val-Kill opened to the public, ensuring that Eleanor Roosevelt’s home would allow future generations to find inspiration from her humanitarian ideals.

09/11/2026

09/09/2026

NEW EVENT: Join us in celebrating 100 years of Val-Kill! The Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site and the Eleanor Roosevelt Center (ERVK) present "Voices of Val-Kill: A Centennial Celebration". The program will tell the remarkable story of the people who came together to save Val-Kill from development—and whose tireless determination ultimately helped create the first and only National Historic Site dedicated to a First Lady, a leader at the United Nations and a world diplomat. Before the panel, we’ll also be show a historical video retrospective that helps tell the story of Val-Kill’s preservation and introduces some of the people and events involved.

The event is FREE and will take place on September 26 at 2 PM at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum . To learn more and register, please visit: ervk.org/voices-of-val-kill

09/04/2026

“If beauty is good for the soul, then I wish I could have taken the whole world to walk with me early Saturday morning in the woods at Hyde Park. These visions of sheer beauty make one wonder why we human beings make so much that is not beautiful in the world.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt, January 26, 1949
_______________

Val-Kill was designated as a National Historic Site in 1977, and in 1984, the site opened to the public, ensuring that Eleanor Roosevelt’s home would allow future generations to find inspiration from her humanitarian ideals.

To commemorate 100 years of Val-Kill, the National Historic Sites of Hyde Park, NY and the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill will co-host the "Voices of Val-Kill: A Centennial Celebration". National Park Service rangers will moderate a panel discussion concerning the preservation and lasting messages of Eleanor's beloved home with members of our park partner's board. A screening of a historical video retrospective will also help tell the story of Val-Kill’s preservation and introduce some of the people and events involved.

The event is FREE and will take place on September 26 at 2:00 PM at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum at 4079 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park, NY 12538. Registration is required. To learn more and to register, please visit the following website: https://ervk.org/voices-of-val-kill/

08/29/2026

08/26/2026

Happy National Dog Day from Eleanor and Fala!

Keeping with the holiday spirit, we'd like to officially reveal the new water fountain on the Val-Kill grounds! This state-of-the-art fountain offers three means of water delivery! The most important aspect of the fountain is the ground level water bowl intended for pets! Then human companions can choose to either refill their water bottles or drink from the traditional fountain spout!

Keep yourself and your pet companions hydrated, friends!
_________________

Photo 1: Eleanor Roosevelt and Fala at Val-Kill in Hyde Park, New York. November 1951. Courtesy of Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Photos 2, 3, 4: The new water fountain for visitors at the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. NPS Photos.