Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Helping Feed the Family
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, November 6, 2015
1. Helping Feed the Family Marker
Mealtimes were family times for the Roosevelt family. Breakfast might include peaches and cream, fried liver and bacon, grits, waffles, cereal, milk, and for Theodore Roosevelt, lots of coffee. Dinners often featured fried chicken covered with white gravy, pork, and vegetables. Roosevelt and his wife Edith didn’t expect the farm to be self-sufficient, but they did their best to raise much of the meat and vegetables the family ate.
The Farm Shed stored ox harnesses and farm tools, along with the occasional livestock carcass. The Chicken House was where the family raised chickens for their eggs and meat. The hogs and rabbits had their own pens nearby and dairy cows grazed in the field behind these buildings. The farm workers took care of the animals, and the Roosevelt children spent many hours playing in the barnyard.
“One of the greatest institutions of the civilized world is the family dining table.”
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #26 Theodore Roosevelt series list.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Farm Tools (a few steps from this marker); A Garden for Food and Color (a few steps from this marker); Chicken House (a few steps from this marker); The Garden (a few steps from this marker); Stable and Grooms’ Quarters (within shouting distance of this marker); The First Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Wood and Tool Shed (within shouting distance of this marker); From Barn to Home (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oyster Bay.
More about this marker. The background of the marker features a photograph of the farm at Sagamore Hill. Seen in the photo are the Cow Pen, Farm Shed and Chicken House. A photograph at the upper right of the marker depicts “Quentin Roosevelt feeding the rabbits, June 1904.”
Also see . . . Sagamore Hill National Historic Site - National Archives. National Register of Historic Places documentation
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, November 6, 2015
2. Helping Feed the Family Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, November 6, 2015
3. Marker at Sagamore Hill
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, November 6, 2015
4. Farm Shed and Chicken House
Credits. This page was last revised on March 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 241 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 7, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
