Click here for Greater Long Island newsletters. Click here to download the iPhone app.
The local legacy of President Theodore Roosevelt is being honored with the installation of 30 historic panels, 21 of which are being mounted at the 26th President’s former estate, the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.
But nine of those panels can be found in downtown Oyster Bay, one of the few towns in the U.S. with National Park Service interpretive panels installed outside of the federal boundary of the local national park.
The announcement was made today, Wednesday.
“These historic panels, through an outstanding partnership with the Town, reveal the significance and meaning of these important historical locations for local residents and visitors alike,” said Jonathan Parker, the Sagamore Hill superintendent.
The National Park Service, which manages the site, teamed up on the project.
“This collaboration between the town and Sagamore Hill National Historic Site transforms downtown Oyster Bay into a dynamic hub of historical significance, inviting families, students, and history enthusiasts to explore the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt without leaving Long Island,” said Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino.
Here is where you can find the historic panels in the downtown area:
- Moore Building: Presidential offices with telegraph lines to the White House, War Department and other agencies.
- Oyster Bay Train Depot: the starting point for Governor Roosevelt’s travels to Albany. Upon his return trips to Oyster Bay, he was often greeted by crowds of well-wishers.
- Derby-Hall Bandstand: Roosevelt was known for delivering speeches from this site.
- Snouder’s Corner Drug Store: a gathering spot for the press corps covering the activities of Oyster Bay’s most famous resident.
- Fisher Building: voting site of Roosevelt on November 5, 1901, after arriving by train and taking a carriage to the polling place.
- Christ Church: local parish for the Roosevelt family and funeral site for the President.
- Youngs Cemetery: burial site of the 26th President of the United States of America.
- Audubon Sanctuary: the nation’s first Audubon Sanctuary, the site reminds us that Roosevelt preserved over 85,000 acres of land in the United States for parks.
- Oyster Bay Bank: Gubernatorial office for Roosevelt, and site of the original Presidential telegraph office (installation in Spring 2025).
— Town of Oyster bay courtesy photo
