Val Kill

It shouldn't be surprising to hear that my trip to Rhinebeck included a little bit of solo touring. Last year you may recall that I went see Hyde Park, the Vanderbilt country home, and Springwood which was the home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Apparently I'm in a Roosevelt state of mind because I went to Sagamore Hill (Teddy Roosevelt's home) last November and now I've been to Val Kill which was Eleanor Roosevelt's (ER) place.



It was an overcast day on Friday so the pictures are kind of moody. They really don't reflect the spirit of ER at all. The more I hear about her the more I admire her. She was so determined and brave. Remind me the next time I plan a fantasy dinner that she would certainly have to be at my table.



Val Kill consists of 2 buildings. Her actual home isn't terribly pretty at all and from the outside it looks very much like the factory that it once was. On the inside it's very cozy and filled with pictures that tell the story of a wonderful, full, life full of friends, family, and accomplishments.



This building is called the stone cottage and it's much more attractive from the outside. It was initially the place where the Roosevelts would go to kick back and relax. Later it became the full time residence of 2 of ER's closest friends, Marion Dickerman, and Nancy Cook. It's about to be restored and opened to the public again after years of use at the offices of the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill. I hope that you get to see it when you go because it's a lovely building.



I really loved touring the Hudson Valley homes that I've seen so far and I was even happier to pass plenty of signs pointing to other historic homes in the area. I may need to go back and see more of them. There's Olana and Clermont and Locust Grove and Boscobel and Kykuit and Sunnyside and ... apparently there's still quite a bit to see.