An Insider’s View of the TR Site
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“I’d rather be elected to that office [the Presidency] than have anything tangible of which I know.” - Theodore Roosevelt For Theodore Roosevelt, the 1904 presidential election was his chance to finally shed the title of “accidental president.” Although he had served almost 3.5 years in office, he was cog...
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It may be sunny, hot and humid outside, but for the Artifact of the Month, I am looking towards Christmas - or at least Christmas in July. While looking through the Site’s archives, I found this small, handmade invitation from 1974 to the Site’s first Victorian Christmas event, inviting people to visit and enjoy cider and Christmas cook...
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As the end of April 1901 approached, the city of Buffalo was anxiously waiting for the opening of the Pan-American Exposition. But there was a problem - the Pan-Am wasn’t ready for its scheduled May 1st opening. Construction delays (including those caused by an unusually wet winter and spring) meant that there was still significant work to be...
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In 1901, the temporary buildings of the Pan-American Exposition’s majestic “Rainbow City” rose from what was previously farmland on the northern edges of the city of Buffalo. But did you know that the Pan-Am was originally going to be built in a different location? Planning for the Pan-Am officially began when the Pan-American Ex...
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“The light has gone out of my life.” This is what Theodore Roosevelt wrote in his journal on February 14, 1884, the day that both his wife and mother died in the same house. Although TR called her “sweet, gracious, beautiful Southern woman,” TR’s mother, Martha “Mittie” Bulloch Roosevelt, was actuall...
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Happy New Year to all of the Site’s devoted friends and supporters! During Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency, he continued the century-old tradition of greeting the public at the White House on New Year’s. The ritual of opening the “People’s House” to the general public was begun by John Adams in 1801. By 1902, th...
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As I was choosing the Artifact of the Month (by the way, a lot of times this is the most challenging part of the blog), I was drawn to the theme of Election Day. I think that seeing voters come into the Site, which has been an early voting location for Erie County for the past three years, inspired me. During his career, Theodore Roosevelt ran fo...
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This summer it seems like a lot of people are planning vacations to a wide-variety of places. Some are going to the beach or to an amusement park or traveling abroad. In 1901, Buffalo’s Pan-American Exposition was the vacation destination. In the six months of the fair, approximately 8 million people visited from now and far. Every one of tho...
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Rather than a single artifact, this month I want to focus on how the Site uses historic photos of the house. Prior to September 6, 1901, the home of Ansley and Mary Grace Wilcox was just a moderately impressive home - at least compared to the other mansion on Delaware Avenue. As such, there wasn’t a reason to take photos of the exterio...
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What do you plan to do right when you retire? For Theodore Roosevelt, his answer was to take a trip to Africa. TR left the White House on March 4th, 1909 and just a few mere weeks later, on March 23rd, he was on his way to British East Africa. TR's trip to Africa was not a simple vacation, but a year-long expedition sponsored by the Smithsonian In...
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At the start of the twentieth century, the world had changed rapidly with the development of new technology and the growth in power of industrialized nations. This placed an increasing importance on international relations, and this month's artifact demonstrates the significance of world leaders - and their daughters - in such affairs. Alice...
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Sometimes I wonder how many visitors notice that the clock on the mantle in the Site’s restored library is set to 3:30. This isn’t by chance. It turns out that 3:30 p.m. is when Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office on September 14th, 1901 and that the clock is the original to the house. It is also March’s Artifact of the Mon...
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This month’s Artifact of the Month conveys the vision that First Lady Edith Kermit Carrow Roosevelt often portrayed to the world. In this stereoview, Mrs. Roosevelt is seated at a desk, depicted as well-dressed, calm, poised - in other words, a perfect First Lady. But there was more to Edith Roosevelt than just a pretty picture. When she ente...
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We think of Theodore Roosevelt as many things – president, soldier, hunter, trust buster, author – but one thing that is sometimes overlooked is TR as a Gold Star father. This devastating title came as a result of the death of Quentin Roosevelt, TR’s youngest son, during World War I. From the declaration of war in Europe in 1914,...
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Looking at the photos of the majestic buildings on the grounds of the Pan-American Exposition, it’s hard to imagine that less than two years earlier, the area was just farmland on the outskirts of the city. And, by 1902, almost all of the buildings would be gone! Without physical remnants, these images are what remain to tell the story of the...
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The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site is operated by the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Foundation, a registered non-profit organization, through a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service.
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