The Midvalley
My favorite mansion cluster is cen-
tered midvalley, around Hyde Park.
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Historic
Site and Library—the family called it
Springwood—was bought by Roosevelt’s
father in 1867. As both governor of New
York and president, Roosevelt used
Springwood as his emotional and politi-
cal home. Everyone from state hacks
to Winston Churchill and the Duke of
Windsor visited here. In 1944, as both
the war and his life neared their ends,
Roosevelt said, “All that is within me
cries out to go back to my home on the
Hudson River.”
The guided tour is a fascinating blend
of history and sociology, and an insight-
ful look into Roosevelt’s political and
personal worlds. Still on hand are his col-
lections of stu;ed birds, coins and model
ships. The grounds, on which Franklin
and Eleanor are buried, are gorgeous—
but not quite as gorgeous as their friendly
neighbors to the north.
It drips
Gilded Age
grandiosity...
VANDERBILT
