While we were in NY, son Brad and his fiance Bernie, took us on a tour of the FDR (Franklin Roosevelt) estate. I remembered FDR, and actually saw him in the early 40's in Dayton, he was with Orville Wright and Charles Kettering. They passed our high school in their limo. They reportedly were discussing the early stages of the A-bomb, the Manhatten Project, which had some early secret research done at Runneymead in Oakwood.
The Roosevelt estate preserves a large part of our country's history, and a four-term president who played a major part in a very historical time. The Depression, WWII, the development of the A-bomb. Much history was in that house, and I was awed to see some of the items that were in photographs that I remembered. His oval office desk and chair were there, all the items on his desk were there, the bed and room where FDR was born.
It was a very respectful and awesome atmosphere. It was crowded, but everyone seemed quiet, and absorbing all the history.
We were free to roam a great deal of the area, the Rose Garden where he was buried, but to tour the house, we went on guided tours.
We were in the last group of the day to tour the house, late afternoon, warm, the sun was setting. We went through all the rooms on the first floor, and went up the stairs to the second floor. We passed the small, hand operated elevator that FDR had used so many times, the same ropes that he had pulled.
We saw the room where he was born, his bedroom, a bedroom where the Queen of England had spent the night. Everything was as it had been, except for the carpet traveled by the visitors.
One small room attracted by attention, a little larger than a phone booth, and this room had an old fashioned telephone on the wall. I entered the small room to get a better look at the antique telephone, and as I entered I felt something brush against my right arm, but no one was there.
Right down the hall stood one of the park rangers, and I asked her, "Is there a ghost in this house.?"
"Yes," she replied, "Sara Roosevelt."
"Some time ago there was a fire up here, and they hired guards to keep a 24 hour watch on the building. One of the guards encountered an eerie white figure that told him, 'Get out of my house.' He did, and was never heard from again."
I felt Sara stay with us the rest of the tour, and follow us as we left, felt her in our car, and for the rest of the evening.
On a couch at The Would, as we sat at the bar, a nearby couch had an indentation where she sat. As we ate, curtains slowly moved in time to the music that was playing, yet there was no wind. She spent some time with us, off and on, for the next couple of days. I think she enjoyed the great time we were having during our visit. She reportedly always loved good "family times," and I am sure she was enjoying our visit.
She didn't come back to Ohio with us,, she is still in New York, in her home, that she loved so much, and is where she belongs, among all those treasures and memories.
Thanks Sara, I hope you enjoyed your time with us, we enjoyed having you.
