Preview of Upcoming Exhibits for the Stone Cottage at Val-Kill

Preview of Upcoming Exhibits for the Stone Cottage at Val-Kill
Sponsored by
Honoring
Eleanor Roosevelt
A Project to Preserve Her Val-Kill Home
in conjunction with the:
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
Hyde Park, New York
Val-Kill, 1924-1947
At a significant time in history, the Roosevelts created Val-Kill, a modest retreat shared with
important friends at a favorite family picnic spot. Here, with Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman, Eleanor Roosevelt developed ideas and formulated programs to address some of the
pressing issues of her time. The National Park Service, in partnership with Honoring Eleanor
Roosevelt, is developing new exhibits that will introduce visitors to the early history of ValKill and the important relationships that shaped it.
Eleanor, Marion, and Nancy
Eleanor Roosevelt met Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman in 1922 at a meeting of the Women’s Division
of the New York State Democratic Committee. The
political activities that joined them formed the basis
of a friendship. Nancy and Marion soon became frequent guests at Hyde Park, joining the Roosevelt circle
of family, friends and advisors.
Regular picnics during the 1920s on a parcel of farmland owned by FDR served as the catalyst for building
a cottage and business venture owned by these three
women. A cottage industry was the driving purpose,
but Val-Kill was also a place where they welcomed political associates, friends and the Roosevelt family.
A young architect named Henry Toombs,
then in the office of McKim, Mead & White,
designed a small cottage under FDR’s direction, the first of many collaborations between
the two. FDR served as General Contractor,
but the women financed the construction of
the cottage and a factory building for Val-Kill
Industries with their own money.
As FDR’s political career advanced, the relaxed
atmosphere and relative privacy of Val-Kill became a retreat for the President as well. Here he
swam in the pool, relaxed with his advisors, entertained heads of state, always mixed with the
easy company of Eleanor, Marion and Nancy
and their friends.
New exhibits are under development for the
Stone Cottage at Val-Kill that will interpret the
significance of the cottage and the early years
at Val-Kill. The exhibits will draw upon objects,
photographs, and motion picture film from the
NPS collection, most of which were acquired
from Marion Dickerman.
Val-Kill Industries
A substantial component of the new exhibits will feature the
history and importance of Val-Kill Industries. “The cottage
was not an end in iteself,” Eleanor wrote in her autobiography, “It was the place in which Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman lived and from which Miss Cook directed a furniture
factory.” The purpose of Val-Kill Industries was to test small
craft industries as a means to provide supplemental income
for rural families. Val-Kill Industries opened for business in
1927 producing colonial style furniture and within a few years
added a pewter forge and a weaving program. Val-Kill was
fully funded by Eleanor, Marion and Nancy’s own investment
and profits from the sale of the manufactured goods.
Eleanor Roosevelt promoted Val-Kill Industries tirelessly
throughout its 10-year history in countless interviews and
magazine articles. The press took interest in the project as a
“feminine industrial success,” but its true significance was its
connection to larger New Deal craft initiatives sponsored by
the government under FDR’s administration.
The Exhibits
Entertaining—Roosevelt Style. A parade
of guests—friends, associates, and dignitaries—streamed across the bridge at Val-Kill
for picnics, parties and other leisure activities.
These visits often were captured in snapshots
and home movies by Nancy, documenting the
Roosevelts’ private life in surprisingly candid
moments. Several of these people helped Eleanor focus her intellect and foster her selfconfidence. Among the frequent visitors were
Louis Howe, Mary Dreier, Esther Lape, Mary
Dewson, and Harry Hopkins; other notable
guests were royalty and British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill (pictured about with Eleanor at Val-Kill)
Eleanor, Marion and Nancy. As FDR’s political career progressed and he relied more
and more upon Eleanor to help advance
his cause, her association with Marion and
Nancy began to diminish. New friendships
Eleanor made on the political trail resulted in
a shift of interests. As her world expanded,
Marion and Nancy began to feel excluded.
Tension in the friendship surfaced as early
as 1936 or 1937 when the women closed the
Val-Kill Shop and Eleanor’s responsibilities
as First Lady pulled her more and more away.
By the time FDR died in 1945, their friendship was reduced to little more than a cordial
acquaintance. Nancy and Marion decided to
leave Val-Kill in 1947, selling their interest in
the property to Eleanor.
A Room of One’s Own. In the short span of
twenty years, between 1900 and 1920, changes
in the organization of labor, expanding job opportunities, and finally winning the right to vote
opened new doors for women. Once out in the
world, they began to live with more independence, even earning their own income. With this
newfound freedom came the realization of their
collective strength. Instead of merely picketing
on the sidelines, women organized, bargained,
financed their own businesses, and ran for public
office. Eleanor Roosevelt’s friendship with Nancy
Cook and Marion Dickerman grew from the excitement of the era, creating together Val-Kill Industries, a school, and the Women’s Democratic
Newsletter.
Picnic Diplomacy. Picnics and politics were
frequent occurrences at Val-Kill, often blended together with what became a Roosevelt
signature style of informal diplomacy. Over
time, Val-Kill would become the Roosevelts’
backyard, tucked away from the visibility of
“the big house” (the primary, more formal
house built by the President’s parents), providing a place where the Roosevelts and their
circle could work and relax. There was nothing formal about this setting. Even when the
Roosevelts chose Val-Kill as a place to meet
or entertain the press or officials of state, it
was on their terms—warm, relaxed and personal.
Rehabilitation of the Pool Terrace. The
President, Mrs. Roosevelt and their guests
swam frequently during summer visits.
The existing pool cover will be redesigned
so that the structure will be more identifiable as a pool. Flagstone paths and plantings will be rehabilitated to reflect their
historic appearance.
The Walled Garden. This intimate garden
designed by Nancy Cook will be restored
with historic plantings and period appropriate furniture to provide an extension to the
Seminar Room.
The Garden Room. This room will be
furnished with reproductions of Val-Kill
furniture suitable for small seminar-style
gatherings and interpretive programming.
The Val-Kill Landscape. The Screened
Porch will be furnished with reproduction
Val-Kill tables and benches suitable for small
meetings. Weatherproof interpretive panels will discuss the historic landscape features—the swimming pool, the pond, the
picnic grounds. The NPS Olmsted Center
for Landscape Preservation has meticulously documented the historic landscape at
Val-Kill and is completing a comprehensive
treatment plan for its restoration.