Little White House
Encyclopedia
The Little White House, in the Warm Springs Historic District
in Warm Springs, Georgia
, was Franklin Delano Roosevelt's personal retreat. He first came to Warm Springs for treatment of his paralytic illness
, and liked the area so much that, as Governor of New York, he had a home built on nearby Pine Mountain. The house was finished in 1932. Roosevelt kept the house after he became President, using it as a Presidential retreat.
The Little White House was the site of President Roosevelt's death. The house was opened to the public as a museum in 1948. A major attraction of the museum is the portrait that artist Elizabeth Shoumatoff
was painting of him when he died, now known as the "Unfinished Portrait
." It hangs near a finished portrait that Shoumatoff completed later from sketches and memory.
Little White House Historic Site is operated by the State of Georgia
and is also known as Roosevelt's Little White House Historic Site.
, began spending vacations at Bullochville, Georgia in the late 18th century as a way to escape yellow fever
, finding the number of warm springs in the vicinity of Bullochville very attractive. In the late 19th century traveling to the warm springs was attractive as a way to get away from Atlanta. Traveling by railroad to Durand, Georgia, they would then go to Bullochville. One of the places benefiting from this was the Meriwether Inn. Once the automobile became popular in the early 20th century, the tourists began going elsewhere, starting the decline of the Meriwether Inn.
In 1921 Franklin Delano Roosevelt contracted what was thought at the time to be polio. One of the few things that seemed to ease his pain was immersion in warm water, and while in said water to bathe and engage in physical exercise. His first time in Warm Springs, Georgia, was October 1924. He went to a resort in the town whose attraction was a permanent 88-degree natural spring, but whose main house was described as "ramshackle". Roosevelt bought the resort and the 1700 acres (6.9 km²) farm surrounding it in 1927 (the resort would become known as the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation). Five years later, after winning the presidency for the first time, in 1932 he ordered a six-room Georgia pine house to be built on the property, This house was FDR’s retreat throughout his presidency and became known as the Little White House.
In total, he made sixteen trips to the Little White House during his presidency, usually spending two to three weeks at a time, as it took a day to reach Warm Springs from Washington D.C. by train.
The Little White House was a six-room structure made of Georgia pine. Three of the rooms were bedrooms: one for Roosevelt, one for his wife Eleanor Roosevelt
, and one for his personal secretary. The other rooms were an entrance hall, a living room, and a kitchen. Access to the Little White House was from an unpaved road that now only exist in parts. The garage-servant's quarters was built in 1932, followed by the single-story frame cottage that served as a guesthouse in 1933, and finally a cottage for Georgia Wilkins in 1934. Wilkins family was the original owner of the property.
Roosevelt would use the Little White House as a base to replace Georgia politicians that refused to follow his policies. This was most notable in 1938 when Roosevelt tried and failed to have United States Senator Walter George
replaced with a Roosevelt loyalist, even though both were Democrats.
World War II
did affect Roosevelt's time at the Little White House. The only year he did not go to the Little White House was 1942, as he was preoccupied by the beginnings of US involvement in World War II. It is believed that he vacationed as much as he did in 1943-1945 at the Little White House because his real love for vacations, sailing on the Atlantic, was too dangerous to do during wartime, even if it was just on inland waterways like the Chesapeake Bay
or the Potomac River
. One major change was that soldiers from Fort Benning
were stationed at the Little White House to patrol the woods surrounding the farm.
His last trip to the Little White House was on March 30, 1945. He felt he did not achieve enough rest at his Hyde Park
home. According to some observers at Warm Springs, Roosevelt looked "ghastly". and his usual cordial waves to the residents were weak. Unlike his previous visits, he avoided the swimming pool he used to comfort himself in previous trips. On April 12, 1945, FDR was sitting for a portrait at the Little White House when he suffered a stroke. Roosevelt died two hours later of cerebral hemorrhage.
Most of Roosevelt's property was willed to Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, who gained control of all the properties in 1948 except for the Georgia Wilkins Cottage, which Wilkins lived in until her 1959 death. Both John F. Kennedy
in 1960 and Jimmy Carter
in 1976 used the property for their campaigns to become president; Carter even launched his campaign there.
On August 9, 2011, the McCarthy Cottage & the E.T. Curtis Cottage next to the Little White House were destroyed in a fire. The cause is being investigated but suspicion is being focused on lightning and thunderstorms that were in the area at the time.
Warm Springs Historic District
Warm Springs Historic District is a historic district in Warm Springs, Georgia. It includes Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Little White House and the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, where Roosevelt indulged in its warm springs. Other buildings in the district tend to range from...
in Warm Springs, Georgia
Warm Springs, Georgia
Warm Springs is a city in Meriwether County, Georgia, United States. The population was 478 at the 2010 census.-History:Warm Springs first came to prominence in the 19th century as a spa town, due to its mineral springs which flow constantly at nearly 32 °C...
, was Franklin Delano Roosevelt's personal retreat. He first came to Warm Springs for treatment of his paralytic illness
Franklin D. Roosevelt's paralytic illness
Franklin D. Roosevelt's paralytic illness began in 1921 at age 39, when Roosevelt got a fever after exercising heavily at a vacation in Canada. While his bout with illness was well known during his terms as President of the United States, the extent of his paralysis was kept from public view. After...
, and liked the area so much that, as Governor of New York, he had a home built on nearby Pine Mountain. The house was finished in 1932. Roosevelt kept the house after he became President, using it as a Presidential retreat.
The Little White House was the site of President Roosevelt's death. The house was opened to the public as a museum in 1948. A major attraction of the museum is the portrait that artist Elizabeth Shoumatoff
Elizabeth Shoumatoff
Elizabeth Shoumatoff was an American painter who was best known for painting the Unfinished Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt....
was painting of him when he died, now known as the "Unfinished Portrait
Unfinished portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt
The Unfinished Portrait is a watercolor of Franklin Delano Roosevelt that was in progress at the time of his collapse and subsequent death. Elizabeth Shoumatoff had begun working on the portrait of the president around noon on April 12, 1945...
." It hangs near a finished portrait that Shoumatoff completed later from sketches and memory.
Little White House Historic Site is operated by the State of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and is also known as Roosevelt's Little White House Historic Site.
History
Residents of Georgia, particularly Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, began spending vacations at Bullochville, Georgia in the late 18th century as a way to escape yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
, finding the number of warm springs in the vicinity of Bullochville very attractive. In the late 19th century traveling to the warm springs was attractive as a way to get away from Atlanta. Traveling by railroad to Durand, Georgia, they would then go to Bullochville. One of the places benefiting from this was the Meriwether Inn. Once the automobile became popular in the early 20th century, the tourists began going elsewhere, starting the decline of the Meriwether Inn.
In 1921 Franklin Delano Roosevelt contracted what was thought at the time to be polio. One of the few things that seemed to ease his pain was immersion in warm water, and while in said water to bathe and engage in physical exercise. His first time in Warm Springs, Georgia, was October 1924. He went to a resort in the town whose attraction was a permanent 88-degree natural spring, but whose main house was described as "ramshackle". Roosevelt bought the resort and the 1700 acres (6.9 km²) farm surrounding it in 1927 (the resort would become known as the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation). Five years later, after winning the presidency for the first time, in 1932 he ordered a six-room Georgia pine house to be built on the property, This house was FDR’s retreat throughout his presidency and became known as the Little White House.
In total, he made sixteen trips to the Little White House during his presidency, usually spending two to three weeks at a time, as it took a day to reach Warm Springs from Washington D.C. by train.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, and one for his personal secretary. The other rooms were an entrance hall, a living room, and a kitchen. Access to the Little White House was from an unpaved road that now only exist in parts. The garage-servant's quarters was built in 1932, followed by the single-story frame cottage that served as a guesthouse in 1933, and finally a cottage for Georgia Wilkins in 1934. Wilkins family was the original owner of the property.
Roosevelt would use the Little White House as a base to replace Georgia politicians that refused to follow his policies. This was most notable in 1938 when Roosevelt tried and failed to have United States Senator Walter George
Walter F. George
Walter Franklin George was an American politician from the state of Georgia. He was a long-time United States Senator and was President pro tempore. He was a Democrat.-Early years:...
replaced with a Roosevelt loyalist, even though both were Democrats.
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
did affect Roosevelt's time at the Little White House. The only year he did not go to the Little White House was 1942, as he was preoccupied by the beginnings of US involvement in World War II. It is believed that he vacationed as much as he did in 1943-1945 at the Little White House because his real love for vacations, sailing on the Atlantic, was too dangerous to do during wartime, even if it was just on inland waterways like the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
or the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
. One major change was that soldiers from Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
were stationed at the Little White House to patrol the woods surrounding the farm.
His last trip to the Little White House was on March 30, 1945. He felt he did not achieve enough rest at his Hyde Park
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
home. According to some observers at Warm Springs, Roosevelt looked "ghastly". and his usual cordial waves to the residents were weak. Unlike his previous visits, he avoided the swimming pool he used to comfort himself in previous trips. On April 12, 1945, FDR was sitting for a portrait at the Little White House when he suffered a stroke. Roosevelt died two hours later of cerebral hemorrhage.
Most of Roosevelt's property was willed to Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, who gained control of all the properties in 1948 except for the Georgia Wilkins Cottage, which Wilkins lived in until her 1959 death. Both John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in 1960 and Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
in 1976 used the property for their campaigns to become president; Carter even launched his campaign there.
Current
Today the Little White House is part of Georgia's state park system and is open to visitors; it’s been preserved to look almost exactly as it did the day FDR died. Items on display at the facility, besides the Unfinished Portrait, include his customized 1938 Ford convertible (in the bottom floor of the garage/servant house) and his stagecoach.On August 9, 2011, the McCarthy Cottage & the E.T. Curtis Cottage next to the Little White House were destroyed in a fire. The cause is being investigated but suspicion is being focused on lightning and thunderstorms that were in the area at the time.
External links
- See Atlanta's replica of FDR's Little White House
- Little White House Historic Site
- Warm Springs
- Front and North Elevations, the Little White House. From the Henry Johnson Toombs Papers at the Georgia Archives.