June 16th, Saturday – Campobello Island, Roosevelt Campobello International Park, The Roosevelt Cottage

Wow, oh wow, since we’ve been here I’ve never, ever witnessed a morning like this.  A beautiful sunrise, temperatures in the 50’s already at 6 am, and the bay is like a sheet of glass.  There is absolutely no wind, though I expect that will change as the day goes on.  But for now, picture perfect in every way.

Just a bit about our day today which we’ll bring to you in detail tomorrow.  We started out searching for more sculptures but ending up getting caught up in a parade before we got too far.  Eventually we did find the sculptures we were looking for.  We also discovered and visited Wreathes Across America, a place not to be missed under any circumstances.  All of that is coming tomorrow.

But time now to get caught up on yesterday.  First, meet two of God’s beautiful people, Brian and Sue.  They are here in the park with us, they have a 2006 38-foot Damon Challenger.

Brian is a retired nuclear plant engineer.  Sue is an active mother.  With them on this trip is their 15-year-old daughter (on the left above) who is still in high school.  Until she graduates, they stated they need to keep their home base in Ohio.  As of now, they primarily travel during June and July when their daughter is out of school.

We’ve had many delightful conversations with them over the course of the last couple of days.  Brian and I have been swapping notes about our RV’s, upgrades done, maintenance performed, likes and dislikes.  In talking with Sue, I discovered that she grew up in Iowa and had a paper route between the age of 11 and 18.  We got on to this subject when we were talking about the winter weather in Maine.  Seems Iowa is right up there in terms of harsh winters as well.  I also discovered that they are like me, meaning they are into history and historical sites.  Unlike me, though, they do not prefer the interstates choosing instead to travel as many back roads as they can.  They will be leaving today and we wish them safe travels as they head back toward home.

We’re going back now to Campobello Island.  To bring you up to date the island got its name in an interesting kind of way.

The question, though, for me was how in the world did Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt end up making their summer home here?

To answer that question, I did a little sleuthing and I asked a whole lot of questions when we visited the visitor’s center at Roosevelt Campobello International Park.

 

As a quick aside, the Roosevelt Campobello International Park was established in 1964 following a gift of the Roosevelt Cottage and its grounds to the Canadian and United States governments.  The park was established as an expression of the relationship between Canada and the United States and as a memorial to the president who so greatly strengthened that relationship.  Back now to how the Roosevelt’s came to be here.

In so many words, the Roosevelts ended up here in sort of the same way that the Carnegies ended up on Cumberland.  Let me explain.

During the 1860’s with the island’s economy suffering, a new industry took hold which was rum running.  Gin from Holland, French wine and Scotch and Irish whiskies were shipped to the island where they were transferred to fleets of fishing schooners from Gloucester, Massachusetts.  It proved for a time to be a lucrative way of making money but with the repeal of prohibition the industry dried up and another way had to be found to stimulate the island economy.

So, what revived the economy?  Remember what Cumberland Island had going for it?  The playground of the rich and famous.  So too with Campobello Island.  During the 1880’s, a new industry boomed when wealthy people had extensive leisure time as well as the means to enjoy it.  It was the age of summer long vacations and great summer resorts.  The one end of the island near Friar Head and Mulholland Light had already

been clear cut for farming.  Many also saw it as a great place to build hotels

and cottages.  To that end a wealthy group of Boston and New York businessmen bought almost the entire island in 1881.  They called themselves the Campobello Company.  They then proceeded to construct luxurious hotels that they leased to private management

and sold land to wealthy visitors and island residents.  This is a picture of the first hotel.

Both the Canadian and American press promoted Campobello as a summer resort.  They portrayed the island as a place to escape the sweltering summer city heat.  Well-to-do families escaped to Campobello by private yacht, steamship and train.  Among those families was that of James Roosevelt, who, with wife Sara and one-year old son Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  They first visited the island in 1883.  James purchased several acres of land and had a summer home constructed; other wealthy visitors did the same.  That, dear friends, is how the Roosevelts first came to Campobello Island. 

Fast forward to 1910 and all of the hotels had closed their doors and land sales completely fell off.   However, today, several of the original cottages still remain.  There is The Roosevelt Cottage which we’ll cover in a bit.  There is The Prince Cottage which today

 

is used as a restaurant and conference hall.  Here is Barbara on the porch entering for a quick bite to eat and a cup of coffee.

Then, there is the Wells-Shober Cottage which is the location of the Tea with Eleanor.

Back now to the Roosevelt’s.  OK, you say so far we’ve accounted for James and Sara, but what about Franklin and Eleanor?   The condensed version goes like this.  In 1897 a cottage was built on the island for Mrs. Harman Kuhn of Massachusetts that was adjacent 

to James and Sara’s.  At her death, she left a provision in her will that the cottage be sold to Sara (James was deceased) for $5000.  Sara then gave the cottage to Franklin and Eleanor when they got married as a wedding present.

Eleanor and Franklin and the children first moved into what is now known as The Roosevelt Cottage beginning in the summer of 1909.  This is what the cottage looks like today.  The wing on the left was added after they

 

were given the cottage.  Eleanor who had previously lived in two houses with her mother in law said of this cottage, this was the first house that she really felt was actually her own.  She was now free to make it her own, to decorate it the way she liked.  One story told is of a time Eleanor called Franklin and told him I am moving the furniture in the house.  He asked her but why?  She replied just because I feel like it and I can.

Now that you know how Franklin and Eleanor came to call Campobello Island home for the summer let’s take a look at their summer cottage.  This is the outside entrance way.

This is the entrance way from the inside

This is the main parlor

The view out of the parlor window.  What a view each and every day!

The telescope in the parlor that Franklin used to watch boats out on the bay.

This is the main dining room.

 

Of course, the children ate at a table of their own when there were guests.

This is the kitchen

A closer look at the main stove that was used for cooking and to heat water for the house.

The laundry room.

The butler’s pantry

The master bedroom

The room that Louis Howe would stay in.  Louis who you ask?

Louis was fragile and small in stature, sickly and disheveled in appearance, described in the press as “ghoulish” and a “medieval gnome,” Howe inspired legends concerning his power over the president. Making light of the name-calling, Howe responded by printing personal cards with the title, “Colonel Louis Rasputin Voltaire Talleyrand Simon Legree Howe”; playing on the many famous characters to whom he had been boldly likened. He favored The New York Times‘ description of him as “The President’s Other I.” The New York Herald Tribune stated of him, “His loyalty is not to himself, or to an abstract ideal of government, but solely to Franklin D. Roosevelt.” ” He was in truth one of the most influential characters in the making of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s political careers and perhaps most widely known under the title, “king-maker.”

Next we have a typical guest room

This is John and Franklin Jr’s room

 

This was Anna’s room

And we’ll end with a portrait of the Roosevelt family.

Time now to call it a wrap.  We still want to share with you the tea we had with Eleanor.  And of course all of the high jinks of today.  All of this will come tomorrow.

We continue to be amazed at all we’ve seen and learned since we’ve hit the road of retirement.  And we know we are still missing so much more.  What a fascinating country we live in.  Day by day our eyes are opened to new wonders, new discoveries, new vistas.  We truly believe we are blessed by our good Lord beyond measure and we thank Him daily for it.

In closing two more pictures.  Unfortunately I’m not that good yet with a camera but take a look at this beautiful sunset.  What a display God puts on for us each evening right outside our solarium window.  Absolutely breathtaking.

 

Let me close tonight out with yet another quote from Eleanor Roosevelt:

As always,  if you are coming to the end of your day with concerns and worries, let me suggest that you turn them over to God.  After all, He is going to be up all night so why not let him handle them for you.

Time now for our evening prayers and eventually some shut-eye.  Till tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before