THE NEW DEAL
Issue 1: 2021
‘The New Deal’ was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939.
Today, we are using it as the name of our newsletter to inform you of what the Franklin D. Roosevelt Hyde Park Foundation, and our partners, the National Park Service, are working on together to further the preservation and enhancement of the National Historic Sites at Hyde Park, New York. With donations from people like you, we are able to continue this important work.
Thank you for your support!
Kevin Burke
Chair, FDR Hyde Park Foundation
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Message from the Superintendent
It has been a joy to get to know all of our employees, partners, and stakeholders during my first year in the park. There is a richness in history and landscapes that provide unending possibilities for programming, recreational experiences, personal reflection, and opportunities to inspire action, and I look forward to digging into these opportunities and raising awareness of these special places.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the parks have been as busy as ever. I am incredibly proud of the work our teams have been doing this last year to continue to preserve and interpret the sites and serve the communities around us. A few of these remarkable projects include:
Springwood Restoration – The park embarked on a large-scale restoration project that included replacing the HVAC system, new intrusion and fire alarms, fresh paint inside, and restored balustrades on the north porch.
Programming – With authorization to re-open our sites in June, the interpretation team jumped into high gear to develop and implement new, safe tour options at Springwood and Vanderbilt Mansion. NPS staff developed self-guided audio tours for visitors to experience in the houses and we worked with recreation.gov to offer online ticket sales.
Volunteers – This year we fully welcomed back volunteers to our gardens. In addition to the regular care and planting, the Rose Garden and Gravesite saw some improvements made to the fencing and cleaning up of the hemlock hedge. These outside landscapes and gardens continue to provide wonderful opportunities for visitors and community members to enjoy the grounds.
You can read about all these projects and more in detail below.
In June 2021, we also welcomed back a treasured piano to Eleanor Roosevelt’s home at Val-Kill, in Hyde Park, New York. You can read more about this generous donation here.
In addition to our successes enhancing the property and our programming, in 2021 we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the FDR Estate’s inclusion in the National Park System. Due to restrictions with public visitations, our celebration was virtual which gives us an opportunity to share it with you here.
One lesson that the pandemic has taught us is to be open to new opportunities and new ways of doing things. Our staff and visitors have been incredibly flexible and open this year to new ways of experiencing the parks. I think this opens up new discussions and possibilities of activities and programs that we can develop for next year and future visitors. How might we all re-fresh and re-invent visitors’ connections to these special places? I am looking forward to engaging all of our partner groups in these types of discussions to develop new projects and activities.
Amy Bracewell
Superintendent
Roosevelt • Vanderbilt • Van Buren National Historic Sites
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Since the earliest conversations about the reestablishment of the Roosevelt Home Vegetable Garden, the FDR Hyde Park Foundation prioritized the goal that the garden should connect the community to the Roosevelt ideals of sustainability and a quality standard of living for all Americans.
This past summer, The Roosevelt Vanderbilt NHS was fortunate to partner with the Vassar College Community Fellows Program. This program matches unique learning opportunities for students with capacity-building needs for community organizations. In doing so, the program invests in the future of the community through civic engagement.
The entire exterior was repainted, and a team of skilled craftspeople from the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center restored the balustrades on the north section of the roof. Finally, a new accessible path made from porous paving provides a safe route for park visitors to the Home. Porous paving, as its name suggests, helps reestablish a more natural hydrologic balance and reduces runoff volume by trapping and slowly releasing precipitation into the ground instead of allowing it to flow into storm drains and out to receiving waters as effluent. Since water does not collect, there are no icy patches to worry about when winter comes.
Your Dollars at Work!
These improvements were in large part funded by park visitors: 75% of the project cost came from fees collected at National Park Service sites across the country.
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Since the earliest conversations about the reestablishment of the Roosevelt Home Vegetable Garden, the FDR Hyde Park Foundation prioritized the goal that the garden should connect the community to the Roosevelt ideals of sustainability and a quality standard of living for all Americans.
This past summer, The Roosevelt Vanderbilt NHS was fortunate to partner with the Vassar College Community Fellows Program. This program matches unique learning opportunities for students with capacity-building needs for community organizations. In doing so, the program invests in the future of the community through civic engagement.
The entire exterior was repainted, and a team of skilled craftspeople from the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center restored the balustrades on the north section of the roof. Finally, a new accessible path made from porous paving provides a safe route for park visitors to the Home. Porous paving, as its name suggests, helps reestablish a more natural hydrologic balance and reduces runoff volume by trapping and slowly releasing precipitation into the ground instead of allowing it to flow into storm drains and out to receiving waters as effluent. Since water does not collect, there are no icy patches to worry about when winter comes.
Your Dollars at Work!
These improvements were in large part funded by park visitors: 75% of the project cost came from fees collected at National Park Service sites across the country.
Roosevelt Home Garden Report 2021
Volunteers
Volunteers play many important roles in the Home Garden. In 2021, 647 volunteer hours were contributed in the gardens at the Home of FDR. As an integral part of the workforce engaged in planting, maintaining, and harvesting, they connect the garden with the community at large in significant and meaningful ways. We look forward to expanding our volunteer corps in 2022.
Volunteers play many important roles in the Home Garden. In 2021, 647 volunteer hours were contributed in the gardens at the Home of FDR. As an integral part of the workforce engaged in planting, maintaining, and harvesting, they connect the garden with the community at large in significant and meaningful ways. We look forward to expanding our volunteer corps in 2022.
Perennial Crops
When the garden was re-established in 2016, park staff recognized that improvements to the soil (reducing compaction and improving soil quality and drainage) were needed prior to the introduction of perennial crops. With the 5-year goal met in this regard, perennial crops were introduced to the garden this year. In spring 2021, asparagus, raspberries, strawberries, and rhubarb were planted. Grapes and currants will be added in 2022.
Small Space Gardening Exhibit
Soil improvements have also allowed the Small Space Gardening Exhibit to be moved to its permanent location this season. The plantings have been simplified for a better understanding of the growing systems on display and improved circulation within the exhibit. Standardized exhibit signage was also created and installed this year. These improvements, along with the audio tour developed by 2020 horticulture intern Jennifer Edwards, have made this exhibit easily accessible and understandable to visitors.
Climate, the Environment, and our Garden Strategies
The Landscape and Garden teams are committed to organic practices to fertilize and control pests in the garden. Only pest control products that protect the crops while minimizing human health and environmental risks are used. Choice products and timely applications reduce impacts to beneficial insects, including pollinators. In addition to the weekly organic spray program, a biodegradable film mulch (to control weeds and reduce insect pest populations), kaolin clay (a white, chalky material applied to foliage to reduce heat stress and deter insects), and a fine mesh netting to exclude insect pests, have been integrated into the grading practices. Also, staff and volunteers are trained to recognize plant pests and beneficial insects. This year a large population of helpful blue scolid wasps were found in the garden; these feed on and help to control grubs of Japanese Beetles and June Beetles.
The Landscape and Garden Division of the Roosevelt Vanderbilt NHS thanks the Franklin D. Roosevelt Hyde Park Foundation for their continued support of the Home Garden Restoration. Their support ensures the interpretation of an important legacy of the Roosevelt family in Hyde Park and allows us to connect our community and visitors to their stories.
Get Involved - how you can help
Preserving these National Historic Sites is of great importance in protecting the integrity of the Roosevelt’s legacy, the buildings, gardens, and surrounding forests for people to experience, learn about and enjoy. This is achieved through the hard work and dedication of the National Park Service and by the raising of supplemental funds by the Franklin D. Roosevelt Hyde Park Foundation. You, too, can help us with this by making a donation.
