Theodore Roosevelt Monument Assemblage
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Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park is a park in the hamlet of Oyster Bay, New York, honoring President Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States.- History:...
in Oyster Bay, New York
Oyster Bay (town), New York
The Town of Oyster Bay is easternmost of the three towns in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County that extends from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the town population was...
. The stones and other objects are meant to each represent a "chapter" and together form a "book" telling the story of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States.
Inscription from plaque, 1991
The full text of the plaque from the 1991 rededication follows, with description of the monument as a whole and individual objects and stones:
ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL ROCKS
The Book of Theodore Roosevelt's Life Written in Rocks
Chapter 1. Born Oct. 27, 1858. Brick from 28 E 20 NYC Where Roosevelt was born. Presented by Women's Roosevelt Memorial Assn.
Chapter 2. Regaining his health granite step from house at Moosehead LakeMoosehead LakeMoosehead Lake is the largest lake in the U.S. state of Maine and the largest mountain lake in the eastern United States. Situated in the Longfellow Mountains in the Maine Highlands Region, the lake is the source of the Kennebec River. Towns that border the lake include Greenville to the south and...
, MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, where young Roosevelt regained his health.
Chapter 3. From Cambridge, MassCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. Theodore Roosevelt's four years of college life. Presented by Harvard CollegeHarvard CollegeHarvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
.
Chapter 4. Baptismal in politics slate from Morton Hall, NYC. 21st District Republican Assembly Hall. Presented by family of Joe Murray.
Chapter 5. Assemblyman stone from AlbanyAlbany, New YorkAlbany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
where Roosevelt entered government. Presented by City of Albany.
Chapter 6. Theodore Roosevelt in cowboy land. Boulder from Elkhorn RanchElkhorn RanchThe Elkhorn Ranch was established by Theodore Roosevelt on the banks of the Little Missouri River 35 miles north of Medora, North Dakota in the summer of 1884. Roosevelt hired Bill Sewall and Wilmot Dow, two Maine woodsmen, to run the ranch...
, North DakotaNorth DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. Presented February 1924 by Village of MedoraMedora, North DakotaIn the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males...
.
Chapter 7. Civil Service commissioner of NYC stone from Roosevelt HouseTheodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic SiteTheodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site is a recreated brownstone at 28 East 20th Street, between Broadway and Park Avenue South, in Manhattan, New York City....
. Presented by Police Captain Edward J. Bourke.
Chapter 8. Police Commissioner of NYC brick from Mulberry Street Station where Roosevelt made history. Presented by Mrs. Jacob RiisJacob RiisJacob August Riis was a Danish American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer. He is known for using his photographic and journalistic talents to help the impoverished in New York City; those impoverished New Yorkers were the subject of most of his prolific...
.
Chapter 9. Assistant Secretary of the NavyAssistant Secretary of the NavyAssistant Secretary of the Navy is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy....
Boulder from Rock Creek ParkRock Creek ParkRock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with public park facilities that bisects Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.-Rock Creek Park:The main section of the park contains , or , along the Rock Creek Valley...
in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Presented by the city.
Chapter 10. Rough RidersRough RidersThe Rough Riders is the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War and the only one of the three to see action. The United States Army was weakened and left with little manpower after the American Civil War...
to Victory boulder from San Juan HillBattle of San Juan HillThe Battle of San Juan Hill , also known as the battle for the San Juan Heights, was a decisive battle of the Spanish-American War. The San Juan heights was a north-south running elevation about two kilometers east of Santiago de Cuba. The names San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill were names given by the...
. Presented by J. Louis Shaefer.
Chapter 11. Governor of New YorkGovernor of New YorkThe Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
State stone from Camp Black in Montauk PointMontauk Point State ParkMontauk Point State Park is located in the hamlet of Montauk, at the eastern tip of Long Island in the Town of East Hampton, Suffolk County, New York. Montauk Point is the easternmost extremity of the South Fork of Long Island, and thus also of New York State...
where he agreed to run for governor. Presented by the Town of North Hempstead.
Chapter 12. Reconstruction of the barge canals boulder from the Erie CanalErie CanalThe Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
in HerkimerHerkimer (village), New YorkHerkimer is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States, about southeast of Utica. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 7,498 people. The village is named after the Herkimers, Palatine German immigrants who settled in this area in 1723...
. Presented by NY State Engineers office.
Chapter 13. Home of Theodore Roosevelt boulder from Sagamore Hill. Presented by Mrs. Edith RooseveltEdith RooseveltEdith Kermit Carow Roosevelt was the second wife of Theodore Roosevelt and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1901 to 1909.-Early life:...
.
Chapter 14. Vice President of the United StatesVice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
stone from the Philadelphia home where he was nominated Vice President. Presented by the city.
Chapter 15. From the AdirondacksAdirondack MountainsThe Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
where Theodore Roosevelt was when he became President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Presented August 1921 by P. Thure Brorstrom.
Chapter 16. Oath of office 1901 stone from Wilcox House, BuffaloBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, where he took the oath of office. Presented by James W. Dowsey.
Chapter 17. From Roosevelt DamTheodore Roosevelt DamTheodore Roosevelt Dam is a dam on the Salt River located northeast of Phoenix, Arizona. The dam is high and forms Theodore Roosevelt Lake as it impounds the Salt River. Originally built between 1905 and 1911, the dam was renovated and expanded in 1989-1996. The dam is named after then-President...
, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. President Roosevelt preservation of the natural resources of the nation. Presented by City of Roosevelt, ArizonaRoosevelt, ArizonaRoosevelt is an unincorporated community in Gila County in the U.S. State of Arizona, located on the south shore of Theodore Roosevelt Lake. Roosevelt has a ZIP Code of 85545; in 2000, the population of the 85545 ZCTA was 616....
.
Chapter 18. The big coal strike piece of coal from the PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
anthracite mines where he conquered the strike. Presented by Gov. Gifford PinchotGifford PinchotGifford Pinchot was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service and the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania...
.
Chapter 19. Greatest acquirement boulder from Culebra Cut Panama CanalPanama CanalThe Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. Presented by Mrs. Lillius Grace.
Chapter 20. Russo-Japanese WarRusso-Japanese WarThe Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
boulder from PortsmouthPortsmouth, New HampshirePortsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
, N.H.New HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, where he settled the war. Presented by city.
Chapter 21. A native rock Theodore Roosevelt in his big stick and square deal. Presented August 1923 by city.
Chapter 22. Battle fleet round world 7 inch shell from US NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, for his biggest peace move. Presented by M. B. Brorstrom.
Chapter 23. Author and man bronze book representing the life of Theodore Roosevelt as author of 31 books. Presented by Mrs. Lillian Tatters Bussenius.
Chapter 24. Died January 6th 1919. 60 years, 2 months and 9 days.
Dedicated in Great NeckGreat Neck, New YorkThe term Great Neck is commonly applied to a peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island, which includes the village of Great Neck, the village of Great Neck Estates, the village of Great Neck Plaza, and others, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success and the border of Queens...
June 10, 1922
Rededicated when moved to Oyster BayOyster Bay (town), New YorkThe Town of Oyster Bay is easternmost of the three towns in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County that extends from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the town population was...
Oct. 25, 1947
Rededicated with this plaque June 23, 1991
While plaques for several individual stones in the monument are missing (8, 4, 18, 5, 1, 23, 16, 20, 17), text from remaining plaques follows:
Chapter 2. Step from house in Maine where young Roosevelt regained his health. Presented Feb. 1923 by W.W. Sewall.
Chapter 7. From New York City Theodore Roosevelt as Civil Service Commissioner. Presented Aug. 1923 by Capt. Edward J. Bourke.
Chapter 11. From Montauk Point where col. Roosevelt agreed to run as Governor of New York State. Presented March 1923 by Town of North Hempstead.
Chapter 21. A native rock. Theodore Roosevelt in his big stick and square deal. Presented Aug. 1923 by County of Nassau.
Chapter 22. From United States Navy, President Roosevelt's great peace move. Battle fleet round the world. Presented in 1921 by M.B. Brorstrom
Theodore Roosevelt Monument Assemblage Map
Map with numbers showing location of stones by chapter:
History and Background
At the heart of the monument is the first and largest of the boulders, dedicated on Palm SundayPalm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....
, April 13, 1919. A plaque afixed to this stone reads:
Roosevelt Memorial Oak
to the Sacred Memory of
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
the Great Americann
PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES
1901-1908
Planted Palm Sunday 1919 A.D.
by Paul Brorstrom
Paul Brorstrom assembled a collection of boulders in his Kings Park estate to write the life of President Roosevelt in rocks.
Three boulders formed the nucleus for the monument dedicated at his Great Neck estate on June 10, 1922. One boulder was taken from Sagamore Hill
Sagamore Hill
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 at the end of Cove Neck Road in the Incorporated Village of Cove Neck, New York, on Long Island, 25 miles east of Manhattan. Sagamore Hill is located within...
recognizing Roosevelt's ties to Oyster Bay where his home was located. The second boulder was taken from San Juan Hill
San Juan Hill
San Juan Hill is a series of hills to the east of Santiago, Cuba running north to south and known as the San Juan Heights or in Spanish "Alturas de San Juan" before Spanish-American War of 1898...
where Col. Roosevelt led a famous charge with his Rough Riders in the Spanish American War. The final boulder from the Adirondack Mountains
Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
served as a reminder of where Roosevelt was upon being informed he would become president of the United States.
These were maintained in Kings Point by John Eggers, who, at the desire of the family, presented them to the town. The three original stones grew to a collection of 24 items including the first boulder dedicated immediately after Roosevelt's death, the three additional boulders dedicated in 1922, and several other boulders, stones, bricks, a large granite step, and other items relating to Roosevelt's life story and political accomplishments.
Six stones are documented as having been added between 1921 and 1924. The first from the United States Navy, recognizing Roosevelt's "great peace move, battle fleet round the world" was presented in 1921 by M.B. Brorstrom. This is odd because this stone is not included among the three that were dedicated the next year in 1922.
The five remaining stones were added after the 1922 dedication. These include: Chapter 11 from Montauk Point, presented March 1923 by the Town of North Hempstead; Chapter 2 from the step of a house in Maine presented February 1923 by W.W. Sewall; Chapter 7 from New York City where Roosevelt served as Civil Service Commissioner presented August 1923 by Capt. Edward J. Bourke; Chapter 21 presented by Nassau County in August 1923; and Chapter 6 from North Dakota, presented February 1924 by the Village of Medora.
These six stones, the three that were dedicated in 1922, and the original stone dedicated Palm Sunday 1919 brought the total of stones up to ten. That would leave 14 additional stones that may have been added before 1924 and whose plaques are today missing, or that were added sometime after 1924 and whose plaques also are missing.
The expanded Theodore Roosevelt Monument was moved and rededicated at the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park is a park in the hamlet of Oyster Bay, New York, honoring President Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States.- History:...
in Oyster Bay on October 25, 1947. James L. Dowsey of Manhasset, former Nassau County attorney and Republican leader of the town of North Hempstead, who had made a dedication speech twenty-five years ago on the Brorstrom estate, was the principal speaker. The gathering was attended by 100 township officials, friends of the late President, members of his family, and a delegation of social science teachers of Nassau County headed by Jesse Merritt, county historian. Quentin Roosevelt, grandson of the former president and son of Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr., who died in the battlefield in Normandy in World War II, made an address of acceptance for the family. Supervisor Harry Tappen accepted the gift for the township.
The park had been presented formally by the Theodore Roosevelt Association
Theodore Roosevelt Association
The Theodore Roosevelt Association is a historical and cultural organization dedicated to honoring the life and work of Theodore Roosevelt , the 26th president of the United States....
to the Town of Oyster Bay on January 1, 1943. This was the perfect place to move the memorial, giving greater weight and meaning to "memorial" in the title "Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park."
Further changes to the memorial involved more additions or re-arrangement of existing items between 1947 and present day. Evidence of this comes from a New York Times article published on October 26, 1947, that refers to "A rock from Wilcox House, Buffalo, makes Chapter 12." On the plaque as it stands in 2008, this same rock is indicated as part of Chapter 16, not 12.
Restoration and Maintenance Needs
Information on the monument was compiled and included in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database in June 1994. Surveyors described the condition of the memorial as "treatment urgent."Since that time no known work has been done to stabilize the monument. Several plaques describing the source of artifacts and stones have been removed and presumably stolen. The ground the memorial is situated upon tends to get moist very easily and standing water is frequently visible. Several of the stones have visible cracks, some of which are growing, and that might ultimately cause the stones to split. Attempts to repair other stones have left caulk and other filling materials that are out-of-character with the color and texture of the stone on which they are applied.