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The
Little
White House
By Jack
Kean
In
October of 1924 when Franklin and
Eleanor Roosevelt came to Warm Springs,
Georgia, Franklin was searching
for a polio cure. Instead, he found
a place and people to love. In 1932,
the year Roosevelt was first elected
President of the United States,
he built The Little White House
at Warm Springs.
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Outside picture of
The Little White House |
The
Little White House isn’t titled
“Little” for nothing. It is really
a small cottage, but clearly, it
was what President Roosevelt wanted,
and it provided him an escape. It
was in The Little White House on
April 12, 1945, while sitting for
a portrait, that President Roosevelt
died. The unfinished portrait is
on display and remains exactly the
way it was on the day he died.
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Dining room inside
The Little White House
(no flash allowed) |
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You
can tour The Little White House,
servants’ quarter, and guest house.
There is also a museum containing
interesting memorabilia, including
President Roosevelt’s 1938 Ford
convertible equipped with hand controls
and his 1940 Willys sportster. Car
buffs will really appreciate these
machines. President Roosevelt enjoyed
driving the Ford on the clay road
around Pine Mountain. (All roads
are now paved.)
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1940 Ford equipped with hand controls that FDR enjoyed driving. |
The
wooded grounds surrounding The Little
White House are beautifully maintained
and add that feeling of escape and
relaxation President Roosevelt sought.
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Bust of FDR at
museum entrance. |
The unfinished portrait of FDR
at The Little White House. |
Getting
to Warm Springs isn’t difficult,
as it is about 70 miles south of
Atlanta. Take I-85 south to exit
41 and turn left on Highway 27A
and travel 33 miles to Warm Springs.
There are ample signs along
the rural highway to keep us city
folks from getting lost.
For
more information, you can check
the Internet at http://www.fdr-littlewhitehouse.org,
or call 706-655-5870. Admission
is $7 for adults with a $1 discount
for seniors over 62. The property
is maintained by the Georgia Department
of Natural Resources.
Based
upon our experience, I suggest allowing
a couple of hours to enjoy this
historical site. Of course, others
might want to spend the day. It
is well worth viewing this slice
of American history.
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