National Historic Sites · New York
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
National Park Service source material · single source. Source dates and reuse information are available beside each field.
Check the official park website for current access, conditions and visitor information.
Introduction
Background: 1
Sagamore Hill was the home of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, from 1885 until his death in 1919. During Roosevelt's time in office, his "Summer White House" was the focus of international attention. Explore 83 acres of natural surroundings, historic buildings and trails to become inspired by the legacy of one of America's most popular presidents.
Geography
Designation: 2
National Historic Site
State or territory: 3
New York
Park Map - Sagamore Hill National Historic Site: 4
Map scope: Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Map of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in New York. The park is outlined in green and filled in with a lighter shade. Some areas are shown in yellow or orange. Points of interest in the park are marked by black boxes, and the surrounding area is beige.
History and culture
History & Culture: 5
A native of Manhattan, Theodore Roosevelt first came to Oyster Bay, Long Island on summer vacations with his family in the 1870s. The teenage boy grew to love the area's natural beauty and enjoyed the opportunities it afforded for such pastimes as hiking, rowing, swimming and riding. In his early 20s when Roosevelt had finished college and was beginning to start a family, he thought that the best possible place to settle with his wife and to raise children would be Oyster Bay. He purchased farmland in Cove Neck, a peninsula just east of Oyster Bay village and envisioned building a large, sturdy, modern home. He hired New York City architects Lamb and Rich to design such a house, and construction based on their Queen Anne-style sketches began in 1884.
Plans for the house were nearly halted due to the sudden death of Roosevelt's young wife Alice in February 1884. She had died just two days after giving birth to a daughter who was named Alice after her. Family members convinced Roosevelt that despite the tragedy of his wife's death, he would still need a proper home for his baby daughter, and he soon decided to go ahead with the house construction.
In 1886 Roosevelt became re-acquainted with Edith Kermit Carow, a friend of his sister's whom he had known since he was six. It took them very little time to resume an earlier relationship and to become engaged.
After they were married, Roosevelt and his second wife Edith took up full-time residency at Sagamore Hill in 1887. The couple would raise a total of six children in the house and, over the next 30 years, they would experience some of the most memorable and cherished moments of their lives there.
The most significant events took place at Sagamore Hill during the seven summers it served as Theodore Roosevelt's Summer White House, from 1902 until 1908. During that time, Roosevelt used his home to host luminaries from around the country and around the world.
Theodore Roosevelt died at Sagamore Hill on January 6, 1919 when he was sixty years old. Ted Roosevelt, eldest son of the president, hoped eventually to take over the house and to raise his family in it. However his mother Edith wanted to remain in the old house, and she gave Ted a few acres of land on which to build a new one (eventually known as Old Orchard house). Despite extensive travels in her later years Edith always came back to the old house at Sagamore Hill. She died there in September 1948 at the age of eighty-seven.
Nature
Birds: 6
Bird Species Checklist Theodore Roosevelt had a life long interest in birds. An author of 35 books on history, hunting, naval history and tactics, political commentary and criticism, his first published work was actually an 1870's monograph of birds of Franklin County in upstate New York. This was followed by a short monograph of birds in Oyster Bay, New York. Though a small park, Sagamore Hill contains a range of vegetation types and habitats that are utilized by a variety of bird species. The eastern half of the site contains some of the largest tracts of natural lands, consisting of mature forest, salt marsh, and beach habitats. Notable species found here include the Winter Wren, Great Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
Nonnative Species: 7
Because Sagamore Hill NHS is within a fragmented, suburban landscape and has experienced regular disturbance over the years, certain invasive species have significantly altered the state of some natural communities. Some of the more severely impacted areas include a patch of forest in the southwest corner of the park which has been significantly invaded by Japanese and Norway maple.
Invasives remain one of the greatest threats to the natural areas of the park, with exotic tree and shrub species (such as English ivy, wisteria, and tree of heaven) threatening the intact forest stands, and the aggressive invasive emergent Phragmites australis encroaching on the estuarine complex from developed areas to the north and south.
Invasive animal species of concern for the park include the European starling and the gypsy moth, though the latter has not been found in the park since 1996.
Birds: 8
In a recent survey, a total of 116 species were documented at Sagamore Hill.
Historic places and exhibits
Theodore Roosevelt Museum at Old Orchard: 9
The Theodore Roosevelt Museum at Old Orchard is open Thursday from 1:00PM to 4:30PM, and Friday - Sunday from 12:00 PM to 4:30 PM. It is closed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
Places to explore
More than a House! Things to Do: 10
The Eel Creek with Cold Spring Harbor in the background. NPS Photo Sagamore Hill is a destination for thousands of visitors each year. People are drawn to the site for its history, scenic beauty, and serene landscape. The park's 83 acres of forested areas, meadows, salt marsh and beach are home to birds, small mammals, turtles, frogs and insects. Paths and a nature trail provide a wonderful place to walk with your family or a pet. Visitors are encouraged to tour Theodore Roosevelt's home and explore the Old Orchard Museum and Visitor Center. You must obtain tickets for a guided tour of the Roosevelt home. Sagamore Hill also hosts several special events and programs throughout the year. A picnic area is available for visitors to enjoy an outdoor meal. Food, other than small snacks and beverages, is not available on site, so plan on bringing your own lunch.
A picnic area is available for visitors to enjoy an outdoor meal. Food, other than small snacks and beverages, is not available on site, so plan on bringing your own lunch. A visit to Sagamore Hill is not complete without a visit to nearby historical and natural attractions , including the Village of Oyster Bay, Young's Cemetery (Roosevelt gravesite), Planting Fields, the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center, and numerous other parks, museums.
516 922-4788 Park staff are available to provide information by phone Wednesday through Sunday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST. If you leave a voicemail, a ranger will return your call. Questions can also be directed to our park email.
Visitor information
Visitation
Sources & field notes
Source records (14)
Select a numbered reference to open a source card. Retrieval dates describe this edition’s source capture, rather than an independent verification or the date of the underlying information.
Background · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Designation · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
State or territory · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
Park Map - Sagamore Hill National Historic Site · National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source scope
- Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
- Download
- Official map PDF ↗
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Public domain; NPS map
- Rights
- Public domain; NPS map
History & Culture · National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party material may have separate rights. No images copied.
Birds · Birds — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- January 25, 2018
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
Nonnative Species · Nonnative Species — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- March 4, 2016
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
Birds · National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party material may have separate rights. No images copied.
Theodore Roosevelt Museum at Old Orchard · National Park Service park structured data. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored U.S. government work is generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
More than a House! Things to Do · National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored U.S. government work is generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Physical Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Mailing Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Telephone · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Recreation visits · National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics. Open source ↗
- Information date
- 2025
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Methodology
- NPS reporting unit; annual total is the sum of 12 monthly recreation visit estimates.
- Reporting unit
- Sagamore Hill NHS
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.