Theodore Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill home at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
PARK AT A GLANCE
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Oyster Bay, New York, preserves the home of Theodore Roosevelt, Sagamore Hill. Roosevelt purchased 155 acres in Oyster Bay in 1880, the same year he graduated from Harvard and married Alice Lee. Four years later he had plans in order for the construction of a house in which he and Alice would live, but she died on April 14, 1884, two days after giving birth to a girl, also named Alice.
Realizing he still needed a house, construction began later that year under the supervision of his older sister, Anna, and was completed in 1885. However, he did not move into the house at that time. In May 1884, he left Alice with Anna and headed west to try his hand at cattle ranching in the Dakota Territory on two ranches he had purchased earlier in 1883. He did come back to the east coast often for business and to see Alice, and during these times he reconnected with a childhood friend of his sister’s, Edith Carow. They began a relationship and were married in December 1886, thus ending his time in the west. The couple and Alice moved into Sagamore Hill in 1887. The house would be the couple’s permanent home until Roosevelt’s death in 1919. He died in the house and was buried in a nearby Oyster Bay cemetery.
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site also includes the grounds of the Sagamore Hill estate. Roosevelt used the land for farming, and there are still a few original farm buildings on the property. There is also a short nature trail that leads down to Cold Spring Harbor.
After Roosevelt’s death, Edith sold four acres to her son Theodore Jr., and he built a large house that he named Old Orchard. The building now serves as the park’s Visitor Center. Stop by here to get a park brochure and to learn about Roosevelt in an extensive museum dedicated to his life.
The main attraction at the park is a Ranger-guided tour of Sagamore Hill. These are given multiple times each day whenever the park is open.
Sagamore Hill dining room, Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
OPERATING HOURS
The Visitor Center and Sagamore Hill are open Thursdays through Sundays. Hours vary per season, so for the current schedule, see the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.
The grounds of the park are open daily from sunrise to sunset.
FEES
There is no fee to enter the park grounds or Visitor Center, but there is a fee for house tours. Tickets must be purchased by phone or online at Recreation.gov (phone number is on the website). The current fee is $15 for those 16 and older. Kids 15 and under are free, though tickets are still required. There is a $1 service charge per ticket. Those with any type of interagency pass also get in free (except for the $1 service charge). Interagency passes include the standard National Park Annual pass. Ticket prices can always change, and the latest fees will be posted on Recreation.gov.
SCHEULDING YOUR TIME
Visitor Center
allow 30 to 60 minutes
House Tour
1 hour
Park Grounds and Nature Trail
1 hour
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Last updated on December 15, 2024
