"Exterior of Theodore Roosevelt Home" by Audrey C. Tiernan Photography, Inc. , public domain
Sagamore HillNational Historic Site - New York |
Sagamore Hill was the home of the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, from 1885 until his death in 1919. It is located in the Incorporated Village of Cove Neck, New York, near Oyster Bay in Nassau County on the North Shore of Long Island, 25 miles (40 km) east of Manhattan. It is now the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, which includes the Theodore Roosevelt Museum in a later building on the grounds.
featured in
![]() | National Parks Pocket Maps | ![]() |
location
maps
Official Visitor Map of Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor (NHC) in New York. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System with DOI's Unified Regions. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Heritage Areas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
brochures
Official Brochure of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site (NHS) in New York. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
https://www.nps.gov/sahi/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagamore_Hill_(house)
Sagamore Hill was the home of the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, from 1885 until his death in 1919. It is located in the Incorporated Village of Cove Neck, New York, near Oyster Bay in Nassau County on the North Shore of Long Island, 25 miles (40 km) east of Manhattan. It is now the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, which includes the Theodore Roosevelt Museum in a later building on the grounds.
Sagamore Hill was the home of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, from 1885 until his death in 1919. During Roosevelt's time in office, his "Summer White House" was the focus of international attention. Explore 83 acres of natural surroundings, historic buildings and trails to become inspired by the legacy of one of America's most popular presidents.
Take Northern State Parkway to Exit 35N or the Long Island Expressway (I-495) to Exit 41N. At those exits, take Route 106 North for approximately 6 miles to downtown Oyster Bay. Turn right onto East Main Street and travel 2 miles on East Main Street/Cove Road. Turn left onto Cove Neck Road, drive 1.0 mile and turn right on Sagamore Hill Road, follow the brown signs up the hill and in 0.3 miles arrive at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.
Theodore Roosevelt Museum at Old Orchard
The Old Orchard Museum and Visitor Center is open Friday - Sunday from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Check alerts and the Current Conditions page for updates.
Follow the white stone path approximately ¼ mile due east of the Visitor Center to the Old Orchard Museum. Vehicle accessibility is by the service road north of the park entrance sign. There is employee, delivery, and accessible parking only.
Theodore Roosevelt Home
A large house painted gray with green lawn and trees.
Theodore Roosevelt Home at Sagamore Hill
Rendering of Sagamore Hill Landscape Circa 1918
A digital rendering of the Roosevelt home and landscapes of Sagamore Hill circa 1918.
A digital rendering of the Roosevelt home and landscapes of Sagamore Hill circa 1918.
North Room
The North Room of the Theodore Roosevelt Home
The North Room of the Theodore Roosevelt Home
Nature Trail
A nature trail to Cold Spring Harbor passes through woods.
Walk the grounds and explore the place the Roosevelt family called home.
Library and Office
A view of President Roosevelt's library and office at Sagamore Hill.
A view of President Roosevelt's library and office at Sagamore Hill.
Eel Creek
A tidal creek with high grass on the banks, trees in the background and blue sky.
Eel Creek is a tidal salt marsh near the Roosevelt family's beach.
Bat Population Monitoring at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
White-nose syndrome has decimated bat populations across the Northeast, including populations of the federally threatened northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis). Interesting, research to date indicates that coastal areas of Long Island, such as Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, may provide a refuge for this rare species. Biologists are using a variety of techniques to monitoring bat populations at Sagamore Hill and seven species have been documented.
A biologist removing a bat that has been captured in a mist net.
The Herd is Here: Roosevelt Elk Herd Installation Arrives at Sagamore Hill
The herd is here. They have come to thank Theodore Roosevelt for leading the charge in the conservation movement and preserving their habitat.The elk herd has arrived at Sagamore Hill after a long journey from Olympic National Park, the home to the largest unmanaged herd of Roosevelt elk in the Pacific Northwest.
Roosevelt Elk Herd Installation cutouts sit in the yard, in front of historic home.
NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, New York
Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park.
beach and harbor
Origin of the Teddy Bear
One of the world's most well-loved bears is part of the history surrounding President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt.
Teddy Bear
The Bull Moose in Winter: Theodore Roosevelt and World War I
Roosevelt believed America should prepare for war. President Wilson wanted to keep America out of it.
Theodore Roosevelt, seated
Archeological Investigations of the Sagamore Hill Firing Range And Stable and Lodge Site
Between 1901 and 1909 Sagamore Hill served as the Summer White House to Theodore Roosevelt. Numerous outbuildings were required for the operation of the farm on the property. One of the first buildings that Roosevelt had constructed to maintain the farm was the stable and lodge. This project will focus on the archaeological resources related to these buildings and the Firing Range that Roosevelt built on the property during his tenure there. Follow this link to find our more!
Theodore Roosevelt in front of SAHI in an 1907 exclusive on his vacation home.
Fat Book Week
You've heard of #FatBearWeek...now get ready for #FatBookWeek! In honor of the 10,000+ books in the Longfellow family collection, we called on other literary-minded sites to submit the fattest book in their museum collections for a tournament-style bracket of 10 heavyweight tomes. Check out the bracket, then visit @LONGNPS on Instagram each morning from October 6-12 to vote for your favorite bulky book!
Graphic of a bear with a paw on a stack of books. Text reads "Fat Book Week October 6-12, 2021"
Diane Harris Dayson
Diane Harris was initially reluctant to pursue a Park Service career. However, she soon found that national parks were "in her blood". Her 26-year career saw her rise from clerk to superintendent at one of our most iconic national monuments.
Diane Dayson wearing the NPS uniform with badge and ranger flat hat.
Resilient Forests Initiative - Managing Deer Impacts
A healthy forest needs to have enough tree seedlings and saplings to regenerate the forest canopy after a disturbance. Analysis of NPS I&M and other long-term datasets makes it clear that many eastern national parks lack adequate tree regeneration due to decades of over browsing by white-tailed deer.
Deer impacts
I&M Networks Support Resilient Forest Management
NPS Inventory and Monitoring Networks have been tracking forest health in eastern national parks since 2006. This monitoring information can guide resilient forest management and support parks in adapting to changing conditions through the actions described below.
Forest health monitoring
Managing Resilient Forests. A Regional Initiative
Forests cover tens of thousands of acres in eastern national parks and these critical resources face a range of interacting stressors: over-abundant white-tailed deer populations, invasive plant dominance, novel pests and pathogens, among other threats. The Resilient Forests Initiative will help parks address these issue collectively.
Forest health monitoring
Series: Managing Resilient Forests Initiative for Eastern National Parks
Forests in the northeastern U.S. are in peril. Over-abundant deer, invasive plants, and insect pests are negatively impacting park forests, threatening to degrade the scenic vistas and forested landscapes that parks are renowned for. With regional collaboration, parks can manage these impacts and help forests be resilient. This article series explores tools available to park managers to achieve their goals.
Healthy forests have many native seedlings and saplings.
Resilient Forests Initiative - Managing Invasive Plants & Pests
Park forests are threatened by invasive plants and pests. Strategically tackling invasive plants to protect park’s highest priority natural resources and planning around forest pests and pathogens are important actions in managing resilient forests.
Forest Regeneration
Staff Spotlight: Elizabeth LaRochelle
Meet Elizabeth Larochelle, a Volunteer Program Coordinator with the National Parks of New York Harbor!
Woman holding up a cutout
Updated Species Database Will Help Boost Amphibian Conservation Across the National Park System
To steward amphibians effectively, managers need basic information about which species live in parks. But species lists need constant maintenance to remain accurate. Due to recent efforts, the National Park Service now has an up-to-date amphibian species checklist for almost 300 parks. This information can serve as the basis for innumerable conservation efforts across the nation.
A toad sits on red sand, looking into the camera.
Inventory & Monitoring Partnerships Aim to Improve Park Forest Health from Coast to Coast
From coast to coast, the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Division is helping park managers improve the health and function of forest ecosystems. From promoting resilient forests in the Northeast, to conserving whitebark pine in the West, to protecting Hawaiian forest birds from avian malaria, scientific partnerships are helping parks to share information, leverage funding sources, and work together for outcomes that extend beyond what any park could accomplish on its own.
Four people, one in NPS uniform, stand in a forest. Three look upward through binoculars.
Project Profile: Managing Resilient Eastern Forests
The National Park Service will improve the ecological health of eastern forests in 38 parks using an array of management techniques. The NPS has selected forest ecosystems of high ecological and cultural value across multiple parks from Virginia to Maine that are at greatest risk of forest loss due to chronic and interacting stressors.
Person gazes up at a tall tree
National Historic Site
New York
Sagamore Hill
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
"The house stands right on the top of the hill, separated
by fields and belts of woodland from all other houses,
and looks out over the bay and the Sound. We see the
sun go down beyond long reaches of land and of water.
... We love all the seasons; the snows and bare woods
of winter; the rush of growing things and the blossomspray of spring; the yellow grain, the ripening fruits
and tasselled corn, and the deep, leafy shades that are
heralded by 'the green dance of summer'; and the
sharp fall winds that tear the brilliant banners with
which the trees greet the dying year."
AIL PHOTOS NPS
Above: The Roosevelts
(left to right): Ethel, TR,
Theodore Jr., Archie,
Alice, Kermit, Edith
Roosevelt, and Quentin.
Below: TR in his library.
Left to right: Leading
the family on a hike;
keeping time as children
race. Of his children he
wrote: 'They often
went barefoot... They
swam, they tramped,
they boated ... they
coasted and skated in
winter, they were ...
friends with the cows,
chickens, pigs, and
other livestock."
TR s Rough Rider
hat and sword
Refuge for a Public Man
day in 1884. His wife died of Bright's disease less than 48 hours after their first
child, named Alice after her, was born.
Wanting a suitable home for his daughter, Roosevelt contracted with John A.
Wood & Son, Lawrence, Long Island, to
build for $16,975 the house he and his
wife had planned. Roosevelt's sister Anna
moved into it with baby Alice in 1885,
while he divided his time between the
new house and his North Dakota ranch.
When Theodore Roosevelt was 15, his
father established the family's summer
residence at Oyster Bay, where the boy
spent vacations exploring the nearby
fields and woodlands of Cove Neck. Ten
years later in 1880 young Roosevelt and
his fiancee Alice Hathaway Lee bought
the hill on Cove Neck where his home
now stands. The hill had no trees then,
with a barn its only building. For this
property he put down $10,000, assuming
a 20-year mortgage for the $20,000 balance. Of the property's 155 acres he kept
95 and sold the rest to relatives.
The New York architectural firm of Lamb
and Rich drew up house plans, but before
the construction agreement was signed
Roosevelt's wife and his mother died in
the family's New York home on the same
Roosevelt had planned to name the house
and property "Leeholm" to honor his first
wife Alice Lee. But he began seeing Edith
Kermit Carow, a childhood playmate, and
decided to call the estate "Sagamore Hill
. . . from the old Sagamore Mohannis,
who as Chief of his little tribe, signed
away his rights to the land." Roosevelt
remarried in December 1886, and in the
spring the couple moved into Sagamore
Hill. Here the Roosevelts spent the rest of
their lives except for absences imposed by
his public career. Three of their children,
Theodore Jr., Kermit, and Ethel, were
born here at Sagamore Hill.
Not only was Sagamore Hill the center of
day-to-day administration of the nation's
affairs in summer from 1902 to 1909, but
it witnessed dramatic national and inter-
national events. On one August day in
1905 Roosevelt separately met envoys of
warring Russia and Japan in the Sagamore Hill library and then brought them
face-to-face. There they inaugurated the
conference resulting in the September 5,
1905 Treaty of Portsmouth (New Hampshire) that ended the conflict and earned
TR the Nobel peace prize.
The doings of the Roosevelts and their kinfilled reams of copy filed by correspondents who kept watch at this Summer
White House. As an ardent advocate of
what he called "the strenuous life," the
President frequently could be seen joining
the children in their games and taking
them for a hike or swim, chopping w o o d ,
riding horseback, or striding across the
fields and through the woods he loved.
Occasionally there would be a mournful
procession of children, accompanied by
President and Mrs. Roosevelt, to the small
animal cemetery to bury a family pet.
"I wonder if you will ever know how I
love Sagamore Hill," Roosevelt said to his
wife as he lay ill on January 5, 1919. The
next day he died in his sleep at the age of
60. Edith Roosevelt lived on here until her
death in 1948 at the age of 87.
Exploring Sagamore Hill
Dining Room
Sagamore Hill is a rambling 23-room Victorian structure of wood
frame and brick, little changed from when it was the home of a
distinguished American and his family. Most of the furnishings
are original pieces that were used and loved by the Roosevelt
family. On the first floor are a large center hall, the library that
served as TR's private office, the dining room, kitchen, and drawing room. The drawing room was Mrs. Roosevelt's domain, the
one place she could demand privacy.
The spacious north room, added in 1905, was designed by C.
Grant LaFarge, Roosevelt's friend and the son of the artist John
LaFarge. The 30- by 40-foot room was built with Philippine and
American woods—mahogany, bla