Locomotives & Trains in Amish Country (#2)

Continuing on our 2011 late summer/early fall road trip through New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia…

This is where I left off at the end of Part 1 during our visit to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania…

This is the Steinman Railway Station, located inside the main hall of the Museum.  It’s a replica 1915-era train station where visitors can watch the orientation video.  Just sitting in the station for a few moments can conjure up what it might have been like to travel back in the early 20^th century…

Sorry for the dark photo… This is the Lotos Club Restaurant and Sleeper car.  It was built by the Pullman Company in 1913…originally just as a sleeper car.  When the economy went south in the mid-30’s, pure sleeping cars couldn’t always turn a profit so this unit was rebuilt and the dining section was added.  This car as modified, still had berths for 16 passengers.  It was named the Lotos Club after an exclusive New York City men’s club. 

Pullman leased their cars to various railroads…and they were staffed with African-American Porters.  Pullman Porters were famous for the quality of service that they provided.  This was the best position that an African-American could possibly have with a railroad during this time.  In 1926, Porters were paid $67.50 per month but they were also expected to work up to 400 hours a month.

This photo is through the window of the Lotos Club car. ..not a bad way to travel!  In addition to the Pennsylvania Railroad, this car was assigned to the New York Central, the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie and the Canadian National Railroads.  She was retired from regular service by Canadian National in the 1960’s.

The final run for the Lotos Club car was from Chicago to South Bend for a Notre Dame game on 10/14/67.  She’d been leased for the event by Elmer Layton, one of the Notre Dame’s famous “Four Horsemen”.  It’s notable that this is the last surviving Pullman car of this type in existence.

Fact: In the 1920’s the Pullman Company was the world’s largest ‘hotel’ operator with over 100,000 guests per night occupying almost 10,000 sleeper cars.

This is the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Coach #8177.  The railroad built this coach in 1896 and it was retired in 1939.  Due to safety concerns by lawmakers, this and other passenger rail cars built after 1893 were equipped with specific safety equipment such as air brakes, automatic couplers and semi enclosed vestibules between cars.

This coach has been restored to its former glory…with golden oak paneling, plush upholstered seats, brass chandeliers and small luggage racks.  A smoking lounge is located in one end of this coach.  It was exclusively intended for gentlemen, their conversations and for card games.

Throughout the museum, there is a supporting ‘cast’ of hundreds of other pieces of railroad equipment and related ephemera.  Most old railroad depots around the country have at least one of these basic baggage/freight carts on display.

We really liked this US Mail wagon.  This kind of cart was used by postal employees to deliver mail in rural areas.  To view a mail wagon in action ‘back in the day’, just click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LfQpG_31EM.

In 1895, Congress began a test of Rural Free Delivery.  Farmer’s rarely came to town more than once a week for supplies and to pick up their mail.  Local merchants opposed RFD because it would allow their customers to buy product via mail order.  RFD also meant the elimination of many small rural post offices.  By 1902, Rural Free Delivery had been established throughout the USA…so the word “Free” was dropped from RFD.

One year after RFD was started, Sears, Roebuck & Company boasted that via its catalog, it was selling 4 suits and a watch every minute, a revolver every 2 minutes and a buggy every 10 minutes.  Revenues tripled for the company in just 5 years!

In the 1860's, home delivery of the mail was legislated for cities of more than 10,000 residents.  Suddenly, there were new requirements.  Street addresses were required, sidewalks and crosswalks were installed and streets were named and adequately signed and lit.  Mail delivery had a positive impact on the growth and improvement of an area…

I’m not sure how this milk wagon interacted with the railroads but we liked its look in any case… Horse drawn milk wagons operated in the USA through WWII and then started to decline as truck production shifted from military to civilian vehicles.  Nevertheless, horse drawn milk wagons persisted in some cities well into the 1950’s.  For an interesting piece on the milk wagon, just click on the following: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR34NQcPJLc.

This is Baggage Car #6, built in 1882 by the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Altoona shops.  This is the railroad’s version of the baggage compartment on an airplane.  For a top notch view of this baggage car, just click on the following: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1441478.

This is Pennsylvania Railroad D16sb 4-4-0 American Locomotive #1223.  It was one of the 429 D16’s built in PRR’s Juniata Shops, with #1223 being completed in 1905.  This type of locomotive was discontinued in 1910, although after a rebuilding program in 1914, some of these engines operated in the 1940’s. 

This is the only D16 that has been preserved.  It was saved by the railroad to use as an exhibit at railroad fairs in the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s.  Old number 1223 was also used in the movie, “Hello Dolly”.   The Strasburg Railroad Company, (see my blog from 2/7/12), used this locomotive for tourist excursions throughout the 1970’s and 80’s.  At that point, new boiler safety requirements forced her into retirement and she was moved to the museum.

This is the type of locomotive or engine that was in use in my youth… The EMD E-7/PRR EP-20 was built by General Motors Electro Motive Division in 1945 and she was retired in 1973.  The 2 20 cylinder diesel engines developing 2,000 h.p. were just part of this 157.5 ton locomotive.  For more power, these engines were usually used in tandem.  PRR had 60 of these units…out of a total of 510 that were built.

Old #5901 was scheduled to be scrapped after retirement.  However, railroad employees hid it in an abandoned Altoona engine house until the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Association could raise the $20,000 scrap value necessary to purchase the unit.  It was restored to its 1955 appearance.  It should be noted that #5901 is the last surviving E-7…

The PRR’s Juniata Shops built 90 of these G-5 10-wheelers in a 4-6-0 configuration.  This 118.5 ton locomotive was built specifically for use with commuter trains.  This type of engine needed to be fast, powerful and able to handle lots of stops and starts in its daily routine. 

Locomotive #5741 was built in 1924 and then it was finally retired in 1955.  It was chosen for preservation, making its last trip in 1969 to Strasburg where it was put on permanent display.  It was added to the museum in 1979.

Pardon the blue construction tarp... This strange looking locomotive was built in 1939 by the Heisler Locomotive Works in Erie Pennsylvania.  It’s like a thermos bottle on wheels…yet another fireless steam engine.  Originally this unit was built by Heisler for display at the 1940 World’s Fair in New York City.  This is the largest, (95 tons), and fanciest fireless locomotive ever built.  It’s also the only one of this type ever built.

Following the World’s Fair, this unit was delivered to the Hammermill Paper Company in Erie Pennsylvania.  Its weight was too much for Hammermill’s tracks and by 1941 it had been sold to Pennsylvania Power & Light.  These engines did a lot of switching for PP&L.  Like many industries it was more cost efficient to operate their own equipment than it would have been to use one of the railroads for this purpose.  PP&L locomotive “D” shuttled coal to the power plants and in return, the power plants provided steam for the engine.  PP&L’s “D” unit was retired in 1969.

Laurie and I did enjoy the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.  It would have been nice if we’d visited the displays at a time when roof leaks and remodeling weren't underway…but such is life.  This is a great venue where you can see and photograph locomotives, rolling stock and related equipment.

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is located on PA Rte. 741, (300 Gap Road), in Ronks Pennsylvania.  The museum is about 1 mile east of downtown Strasburg.  Phone: 717-687-8628.  Website: www.rrmuseumpa.org.

Just click on any of the photographs to enlarge them.

Many thanks for stopping by and visiting my blog!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave  

Lunch in Morgantown Pennsylvania

Continuing with what must seem by now to be our never-ending late summer/early fall 2011 road trip to upper New York State, Pennsylvania and Virginia…

We were on our way to Amish country in Lancaster County Pennsylvania and it was time for lunch.  How about trying a kitschy looking Pennsylvania Dutch restaurant that we happened upon at just the right moment?

This is the Windmill Family Restaurant in Morgantown Pennsylvania.  It began it’s life as an ice cream stand in 1952 but after 20 years, new owners turned it into a sit down restaurant.  It was renovated and expanded in the early 80’s and it was given it’s current name.

This isn’t the greatest photo of the interior of the restaurant but it serves its purpose.  The interior had a worn, tired look…just a bit on the shabby side.  The restaurant was clean but it’s time for another renovation. 

We were there at lunch time so we missed the opportunity for breakfast.  The prices for all meals were very reasonable at the Windmill.  A standard breakfast with 2 eggs, meat, toast and home fries cost $5.05!  Laurie would have gone for the Eggs Benedict - Dutch Style…thin sliced ham on an English muffin topped with poached eggs and then covered with creamed chipped beef. ($5.99) Alternatively, how about a Scrapple and Cheese Omelette! ($6.19)

For the uninitiated, the Pennsylvania Dutch refer to scrapple as ‘pon haus’.  Basically, it’s comprised of pig organ meat, the head and other scraps, mixed into a mush with cornmeal and flour plus some spices.  The mush is then refrigerated and formed into a loaf.  Typically, it’s sliced and fried for use with breakfast or as a sandwich.  I guess that this is a prime example of ‘waste not, want not’!   For more information on scrapple, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapple.

Laurie started out with a bowl of French Onion Soup ($3.99) It was loaded with cheese and onions and she gave it a solid thumbs up.

I went with the bowl of Pennslvania Dutch Homemade Chicken Corn Chowder ($2.50, or a cup $2.20) The price was right and it was filling but I thought that the soup lacked character.  It was OK…

This was my sandwich…the Turkey Melt ($6.69 with pickles, cole slaw and French fries (We skipped the fries) It was a very nice sandwich…with lots of flavor!  Of course, anything that you add bacon to is going to be greatly enhanced…

Had we been at the Windmill Family Restaurant later in the day, we might have tried one of their Pennsylvania Dutch dinner favorites.  These included: Chicken Pot Pie ($8.45); Roast Turkey Platter ($9.99); Pork and Sauerkraut Platter ($8.99) or perhaps; the Dutch Dinner with the chicken corn chowder, ham with raisin sauce, baked chicken and 2 vegetables plus dessert…possibly Shoofly Pie (all for $12.99)

For more on the Shoofly Pie, just go to http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PieHistory/ShooflyPie.htm.

Laurie went with her favorite sandwich…the Patty Melt ($6.59)  She liked it very much & the pickles were great too!

The lunch/dinner menu was very extensive.  In addition to the Dutch Favorites, it listed Appetizers ($2.99/$7.79); Soups ($2.20/$3.99); Dinner Salads ($5.39/$8.99); Burgers ($3.99/$6.59); Sandwiches from the Griddle ($3.99/$6.79); Hot Sandwiches ($5.45/$8.99); Cold Sandwiches ($5.25/$7.99); Steaks and Chops ($9.45/$16.99); Seafood Entrees ($8.99/$15.99); Poultry ($8.19/$8.75) and; Pasta/Italian Favorites ($7.99/$11.99). There is also a small all day breakfast selection available.

So…lots of variety, decent food, OK service, great price in a setting that needs a little TLC.  All in all, it was a positive experience and if we were passing this way again, we’d stop to try the dinner entrees…

The Windmill Family Retaurant is located at 2838 Main Street, (corner of PA Routes 10 & 23), in Morgantown Pennsylvania.  Phone: 610-286-5980.  Website: www.windmillfamrestaurant.com.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Locomotives & Trains in Amish Country (#1)

Continuing on our late summer/early fall road trip through New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia…

As anyone knows who checks out this blog from time to time, when we travel I do seek out old or unusual railroads, locomotives, rolling stock, railroad miscellany plus any and all train depots…

This is the Switch Tower at the base of operations for the Strasburg Railroad Company.  The railroad was chartered/founded in 1832.  This 4.5 mile short line railroad was first operational…with horse drawn railcars…back in 1837.  It took delivery of its first locomotive in 1851.

The railroad has existed for 180 years as of 2012.  It’s served as a tourist railroad for 54 years as of this year…but it still hauls a little freight to the mainline, what were formerly the Pennsylvania Railroads tracks, in Parkesburg/Lancaster PA. (Amtrak now operates on that line)

This is just one of at least 10 locomotives operating for the Strasburg Railroad.  Five of them are steam locomotives and four are powered by internal combustion engines.  There is also a powered railcar from the interurban railroad days that dates back to 1885.

The steam locomotive shown above is the former Norfolk & Western #475.  It was acquired by the Strasburg Railroad in 1991 and it’s used to pull the tourist trains.  This Baldwin M Class 4-8-0 locomotive was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1906.  It is the only 4-8-0 steam locomotive out of the 125 of this type that were built that is still operational.

This is 1 of the 19 or so passenger cars or coaches in use by the Strasburg Railroad.  The ‘Mill Creek’ #72 was built by the Pullman Company in 1906 and it was delivered to the Boston & Maine Railroad.  The Strasburg Railroad also operates the only wooden dining car in service in the USA.

The Strasburg Railroad is located on Pennsylvania Route 741E, just one and a half miles east of Strasburg.  The address is 301 Gap Road in Ronks, PA.  Phone: 717-687-7522.  For more on the Strasburg Railroad, you can go to http://www.strasburgrailroad.com/ or to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strasburg_Rail_Road. 

What I really came to see is directly across the road from the Strasburg Railroad’s rail yard and main terminal…

This is the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and it’s operated by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. 

Given our timing for this trip, I chose this museum…located in an area that we were planning to visit anyway…versus another deviation from our route over to Steamtown in Scranton PA.  Steamtown is a National Historic Site operated by the US Park Service.  Check out that attraction at http://www.nps.gov/stea/index.htm.  

Note: Blue Tarps are visible in several interior photos in the main display hall.  Serious leaks had developed over the weeks previous to our visit resulting from the various critical rain event that happened in the northeast USA in the late summer.

I know that this photo looks like Laurie has taken a photo of a toy train.  In reality, this photo was taken from a catwalk above and stretching across the main display floor of this huge enclosed display hall full of locomotives, rolling stock and other related ephemera. 

There are at least 42 engines/locomotives in the inventory for this large and classy museum.  Old #1187 pictured above is a former Pennsylvania Railroad 2-8-0 that was built by the Altoona Works in 1883.  FYI, the Altoona Works were built by the Pennsylvania Railroad.  This industrial operation built 6,783 steam, electric and diesel locomotives from 1866 to 1946.

This is #4935, “Blackjack”, a Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 electric locomotive.  It was one of 139 of these units that were built by the PRR’s Juniata Shops.  This engine was built in 1943 and it was powered by 12 motors that could deliver a maximum of 8,500 H.P.  This locomotive is about 80’ long and it could cruise at 100 m.p.h. 

The last of these units was retired from service in the 1980’s.  The sleek exterior look was designed by Raymond Loewy, who also designed the Studebaker automobile. 

Here’s yours truly at the controls of, (or at least in the cab of), a 1905 Baldwin H 6sb 2-8-0 locomotive.  The Baldwin H 6 series was the locomotive most used by the Pennsylvania Railroad…operating 2,032 of them in total. 

This unusual looking locomotive is a 1941 Heisler 0-4-0F (Fireless Steam Accumulator) Number 111 was used by Bethlehem Steel to move boxcars and flatbeds around their giant production facilities. 

These fireless locomotives worked from compressed steam and they would have to be externally re-charged/re-pressurized every few hours.  They could move themselves along the tracks for about 95 miles or they could move 10 loaded boxcars about 20 miles.  They were normally utilized in areas that were restricted by the presence of flammable materials or if there was a need for cleanliness…

This is just a view of part of the Railroad Museum’s rail or restoration yard.  There is a lot of rolling stock as well as several locomotives sitting in this area.  The Museum has an inventory of at least 42 locomotives, 23 passenger coaches, 25 freight boxcars, flatbeds, tankers, etc., as well 14 miscellaneous pieces of rolling stock.

This is the working locomotive round table in the Museum’s rail and switching yard.  They are now starting to construct the building around the half-circle of tracks that will house the engines that are currently stored outdoors...basically, it will be a half-moon shaped engine shed where the locomotives can be worked on and protected from the elements.

This unmarked locomotive was sitting in the restoration or rail yard at the Museum.  From the markings I could see, it was built by the H.K. Porter Company.  That company started building light duty locomotives, mostly for industrial use, back in 1866.  They built a number of medium duty units as well.  The company produced conventional steam engines, compressed air engines and engines that operated on gasoline.  All in all, Porter built over 8,000 locomotives.  The last one built was completed in 1950 and it was shipped to Brazil.

Finally, this is an RDC (Rail Diesel Car) that was built by the Budd Company in 1951.  These self-propelled rail cars represented the last resort by the railroads as they tried to maintain passenger service on local and branch lines.  A total of 368 of these units were built and sold to 25 different North American Railroads.  They were efficient, easy to maintain and they only required a 2-person crew. 

This unit, RDC #40, served the Lehigh Valley Railroad and then it served with the Reading railroad’s commuter trains.  Finally, when the Reading declared bankruptcy, the Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) used RDC #40 until 1984.

There will be more to follow regarding this museum in yet another blog…

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is located at 300 Gap Road, PA Route 741 East, in Strasburg Pennsylvania.  Phone: 717-687-8628.  Website: www.rrmuseumpa.org.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Cuban Cuisine in the Smoky Mountains?!

It was a bit cloudy, but it wasn’t raining and it was just another ‘tough’ winter day here in East Tennessee (Low temperature 30 degrees/High temperature 52 degrees – Not too bad for mid-January!)

Laurie and I decided to go for a drive over to scenic Cade’s Cove in the Smoky Mountain National Park…about an hour drive from our house.

We saw well over a hundred deer and a couple of flocks of turkeys during our drive through the cove…  There was minimal traffic for a change and it was an enjoyable visit to this very pretty valley.

The deer in Cade’s Cove are really accustomed to people and autos… This buck ignored whistles, calls and people just a few yards away.  He just wouldn’t look up to have his photo taken!

Another mid-winter photo of Cade’s Cove…peaceful and serene… In season, the loop road can take a couple of hours to navigate.  A deer grazing by the side of the road is all the reason that folks need to stop their vehicle in its tracks to take pictures while blocking traffic.

When we drove through Townsend Tennessee on the way to the park, we were surprised to see a new restaurant…one that doesn’t serve southern food or just basic fuel for the body.

A Cuban Restaurant in Townsend near the Smokies?!  We couldn’t resist!  On our return drive back toward our home, we stopped at the Lil’ Cuban Café for an early dinner.

Well, the café didn’t look Cuban once you went inside… Tree trunk seating at rustic wooden tables.  Stools made from tree trunks and tractor seats.  Knotty pine paneling… Not to worry, its all about the cusine!

I ordered the Cuban…Caribbean spiced pork, Swiss cheese, ham, dill pickle chips, mustard and butter pressed in Cuban bread.  This is a big sandwich for only $6.95!  I liked the fact that the sandwich rested on a layer of shoe string potatoes.  I hadn’t had any of those for years… The sandwich was very large and loaded with meat and cheese.  It was good but it was a little bland for my taste.  I think that I expected a bit more ‘pop’ in flavor.

These are the Yucca Fries that I ordered with my Cuban sandwich… I’d never had these before.  They were worth trying but they are nothing like French Fries… The Garlic & Olive Oil dipping sauce was a big winner!  I would use this sauce on other food items for sure…

Laurie is far more experimental and adventurous when it comes to ordering food that we’re not used to seeing (I have way too many food hang-ups or dislikes to be a real food critic) She ordered this magnificent Pan Con Picadillo…ground sirloin with a complement of Spanish chorizo, diced ham and green olives sautéed in a sofrito sauce, then served over warmed Cuban bread siting on shoe string potatoes ($6.95) This sandwich was loaded with flavor.  It was huge too!  Laurie loved it as did I…once I picked out the larger pieces of olive (It’s a texture thing with me…)

Other sandwiches on the menu include: the Pan Con Lechon…Cuban style oven-roasted pork tenderloin with house mojo sauce and sautéed onions served in warmed Cuban bread; the Pan Con Croqueta…4 ham croquettes layered with Swiss cheese, dill pickle chips and shoe string potatoes, pressed on a sweet hamburger bun; the Frita…Cuban style burger made with a delicious blend of ham and Spanish sausage layered with Swiss cheese and shoe string potatoes, then pressed on a sweet burger bun, and; the Jamon y Queso…ham and Swiss cheese pressed on buttered Cuban bread.  All of the sandwiches are $6.95!

Laurie loved this pineapple drink…Jupina.  Among other beverages offered, the Lil’ Cuban Café also serves Ironbeer (a Cuban beverage tasting like a fruitier Dr. Pepper), Materva (made from yerba mate, a popular South American tea), and Cuban coffee.

Beyond the sandwiches, there are 3 platters…all costing $10.95.  These platters or entrees include: Picadillo…basically the filling for Laurie’s sandwich; Lechon Asada…the filling for the Pan Con Lechon, and; a platter of the day.  These include a chicken dish, a beef stew, shredded beef with green and red peppers and deep fried marinated pork pieces.  All platters come with 3 sides. 

There are also different soups offered each day as well as a daily Empanada special.  Empanada’s are $3.95.  Three pastelitos (pastries) are offered, ($3.00 each) as well as two desserts…Lil’ Cuban Café Flan, ($3.95), and Casco De Guayaba…guava shells served with cream cheese and natural guava syrup ($2.95)

We will definitely return to Lil’ Cuban Café!  We will bring others as well… It’s a friendly place, very casual and comfortable serving good Cuban cuisine at a very reasonable price.  It’s also a big change of pace from the normal offerings available in East Tennessee…

Lil’ Cuban Café is located at 7249 East Lamar Alexander Parkway in Townsend Tennessee.  Phone: 865-448-3067.  They do not have a website but they are on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lil-Cuban-Cafe-at-the-Bunkhouse-Inn-on-the-River/159063787520456.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, Museum & Home

Continuing with our 2011 late summer/early fall road trip through northern New York State, Pennsylvania and Virginia…

Following our stay in Cooperstown, we headed back to the east and the Hudson River Valley.  Our goal following the Firefighter's Museum was Hyde Park New York and the first American Presidential Library originally paid for through fund raising by the President himself and his supporters. 

This life size bronze sculpture of President Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor is in the courtyard of the Library.  Once the Library was finished, it was donated to the U.S. Government to be operated by the National Archives & Records Administration.  In 1955, this process became law when the U.S. Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act.

NARA’s other Presidential Libraries include those for Herbert Hoover (Iowa); Harry Truman (Missouri); Dwight Eisenhower (Kansas); John Kennedy (Massachusetts); Lyndon Johnson (Texas); Richard Nixon (California); Gerald Ford (Michigan); Jimmy Carter (Georgia); Ronald Regan (California); George H.W. Bush (Texas) and; William Clinton (Arkansas).

Laurie and I had previously visited the Truman Presidential Library in Independence Missouri…and we really enjoyed our visit to that Library. 

This is Springwood, the Roosevelt family home.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born here in 1882 and it was his lifelong home.  James Roosevelt, FDR’s father, bought the house and the 1 square mile estate in 1866 for $40,000…  FDR’s mother was Sara Delano Roosevelt.  While James died in 1900, Sara lived here until her sudden death in September of 1941.

There were a couple of problems that limited our experience while on the tour of the home.  First of all, the rooms were so dark that it was difficult to really appreciate what we were looking at… In addition, unfortunately, someone on tour on the second floor had a medical emergency and we were limited to the first floor.  For a look at some interior photos of the Roosevelt’s home, just go to http://travelphotobase.com/s/NYHH.HTM.  

The living room and library was the most interesting room that we saw.  It was in this room that FDR worked on his private collections.  He had a personal library of roughly 14,000 volumes, over 2,000 naval paintings, prints and lithographs, over 300 bird specimens, 200 + ship models, a collection of 1.2 million stamps, plus thousands of coins, banknotes, campaign buttons and medallions.

The center portion of the house was formed by a large farmhouse that was built ca. 1800.  The original estate covered over 24 square miles and it was part of the ‘Great Nine Partners Patent’ granted by the English Crown in 1697.  When James Roosevelt bought the property, it included stables and a race track.

This is the family carriage house and stable.  It’s located fairly close to the home itself.  We almost didn’t get to see inside because the Park Service locked it up early.  But Laurie approached one of the Park Service Rangers and she talked her into letting us inside through a side door.  Another couple tagged along.  People should live as well as the Roosevelt horses did!

While the Presidential Museum and Library are operated by the National Archives & Records Administration, the Roosevelt Home plus the estate, Eleanor Roosevelt’s cottage, ‘Val-Kill’, FDR’s ‘Top Cottage’ and the nearby Vanderbilt Estate are all operated by the National Park Service.  Park Service tours actually begin at the Museum & Library. 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt are buried at Springwood.  He died in office in April 1945, actually at his other hideaway in Warm Springs Georgia, while Eleanor lived until 1962. (Note: His former mistress was with him when he died in Warm Springs)

Springwood functioned as the Summer White House throughout FDR’s presidency.  He and Eleanor entertained and conducted many important meetings at their home.  Guests included King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, the Canadian Prime Minister, William Mackenzie, Winston Churchill, Queen Wilhelmina and her daughters, Crown Prince Olaf of Norway and many others.  During his presidency, FDR made almost 200 visits to Springwood…

The next few photos were taken in the Museum portion of the Presidential Library.  The kilt and the little outfit were worn by FDR when he was a child.  Another photo showed the little boy in a dress…a common thing for a young boys back in the 1800’s.  This and the following photo were taken as we toured FDR’s: The Early Years Gallery.

This was one of Laurie’s favorites…young FDR’s rocking horse.  While not as rich as the Rockefeller’s, FDR’s family weren’t exactly poor.  He was home schooled by his parents and private tutors.  He then attended Groton, a prestigious prep school, followed by a degree from Harvard and then he attended law school at Columbia.  He passed the bar examination and then he practiced law in New York City for 3 years.  In 1910, at the age of 28, he was elected to the New York State Senate…and the rest truly is history.

From the Early Years Gallery, we moved on to the Presidential Years Gallery.  This was actually FDR’s private study at the Presidential Library.  This is the only presidential library ever used by a sitting president.   The study is preserved just as he left it in 1945.

Here is President Roosevelt’s Oval Office Desk from the White House.  He used this desk for the entire time that he was America’s Chief Executive…March 3, 1933 until April 12, 1945.  The items on his desk, various mementos and knickknacks, are arranged roughly as they were at the time of his death.

Love him or hate him, FDR was our President during 2 of the most traumatic events in American history…the Great Depression and World War II.   

There is another segment of the Library that is set aside to honor Eleanor Roosevelt.  She was active in public affairs and many, many causes almost until she died.  Her nearby cottage, Val-Kill, is the only National Historic Site dedicated to a First Lady. 

This is President Roosevelt’s 1936 Ford Phaeton.  It was specially outfitted with hand controls, which allowed the President to drive despite the crippling effects of his bout with polio, (infantile paralysis), that he contracted in 1921.  FDR enjoyed driving this car on his estate and along the back roads of Dutchess County.  He even took the King and Queen of England for a ride in his car.  His favorite driving companion however, was his dog Fala…

This little statue right by the Visitors Desk in the Library’s Visitor’s Center is a likeness of Fala.  Fala was born in April 1940.  FDR named him “Murray the Outlaw of Falahill” after a Scottish ancestor.  Fala went almost everywhere with the President… He attended the Atlantic Charter Conference in Newfoundland, inspection trips of defense plants, Mexico to meet with that country’s President, the Quebec Conference, the Aleutian Islands in 1944. 

Fala received thousands of fan letters and he had his own secretary.  Two movies about Fala were produced, one at the White House and one a Hyde Park.  The Republicans accused FDR of spending millions of taxpayer’s dollars on taking his dog with him on these trips.  FDR actually made a speech defending Fala!  Fala retired to Val-Kill in Hyde Park.  He passed away on his 12^th birthday and is buried next to the sun dial not far from FDR and Eleanor’s graves.

We were vaguely dissatisfied with our visit to the Presidential Library and Springwood.  It just didn’t seem to come together.  I think that we expected more interesting displays, information, or whatever.  Something was missing.  After all, FDR did serve more than 12 years as our President…

Of course, we did miss the 2^nd floor of the family home.  Work was being done on the grounds.  Construction was underway in an effort to upgrade and expand the Library and Museum.  Perhaps the powers that be recognized that this facility could have much more impact…and change is coming!

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum as well as the Franklin D. Roosevelt Historic Site are both located on US Rte. 9 at 4079 Albany Post Road in Hyde Park New York.  Both facilities are open year around.  Admission is charged.  For more information on the Library & Museum, just go to www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/.  Information regarding the Historic Site/Roosevelt’s Home, go to www.nps.gov/hofr/index.htm.  For a relatively short biography on FDR, just go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt#Campaign_for_Vice-President.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a longer than normal visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Road Trip - One More Italian Dinner!

Continuing with the attractions, experiences and food that we encountered during our 2011 late summer/early fall road trip to upper New York State and Pennsylvania…

Our last night in New York State was spent near Poughkeepsie New York.  Somewhere, perhaps in Trip Advisor, I’d run across a number of positive reviews for the Acropolis Diner (gyros in mind) in central Poughkeepsie… Laurie and I went searching for the restaurant, utilizing our Magellan GPS in the search.  After driving through a very scary area looking for Acropolis, we decided we’d be better off returning to US Rte. 9 and just picking something at random!

As it turns out, more recent reviews of the Acropolis Restaurant in Trip Advisor indicate that we made the right choice…based on the food alone.

Once again, we lucked out!  This is Coppola’s on 9, an Italian Restaurant that has been around for over 50 years…

The dining areas at Coppola’s were warm, friendly and definitely 1960’s…

The menu included 16 pasta entrees including ‘House Made’ Lasagna, Gnocchi, Ravioli and Manicotti.  The price of the pasta entrees ranged from $12.95 to $14.95.

Sorry for the messy cup of Escarole Soup…escarole, fennel sausage and spices chopped fine and simmered in a chicken broth.  I’d started slurping it down before my better half got my attention and took the photo.  It was very good soup!

I went with one of the Chicken entrees…Chicken Vincenzo. ($15.95) This was Chicken Scaloppini topped with artichoke hearts, prosciutto and mozzarella cheese in a white wine sauce over penne pasta.  The Escarole Soup came with my dinner.  This was a very rich and satisfying entrée…

There were 6 veal entrees on the menu…all at $16.95 and 6 chicken entrees…ranging from $14.95 to $16.95.  We were not hungry enough for an appetizer despite the fact that there are 17 different items ‘antipasti’ on the menu.  These include wings, fried cheese, calamari, zucchini, stuffed mushrooms, 4 different clam starters, etc.  Prices ranged from $5.50 to $11.95 for the Hot Antipasto sampler.

Based on a lack of quality pizza close to our home in East Tennessee, Laurie decided that she’d go with an individual pizza for her dinner.  She went with our standard…Italian Sausage, Pepperoni and Cheese. ($8.95) This was definitely a bargain…and it was good pizza too!

Coppola’s on 9’s menu also includes wraps and specialty sandwiches, burgers, toasted panini, calzones and a number of items from the grill.  The most expensive item on the menu was the Filet Mignon and Sea Scallops at $22.95.

We would recommend Coppola’s on 9 to anyone passing through the Poughkeepsie area.  The service was good, the atmosphere was old school and the food was very good.  Coppola’s on 9 is located at 2323 South Road (US Route 9) in Poughkeepsie New York.  Phone: 845-462-4545.  Website: http://www.coppolas.net/CoppolasOn9/index.html.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave