Summers in Oyster Bay
The Roosevelt’s summer vacations were basically 4 months long. They began as early in June as possible and lasted until late September, or early October.
Every year they rented the same resort home named Tranquility. To the Roosevelt’s it was their home away from home just 27 miles from NYC.
While America was dealing with the breadlines and labor violence of the Panic of 1873 the Roosevelt’s had moved into their new 57th Street home and were having one of their happiest summers of their lives in Oyster Bay.
Mornings were spent on horseback and afternoons on the water rowing or sailing. There were miles of shoreline with plenty of room to hunt.
Theodore Sr. wrote plays the kids rehearsed for hours. It was the only time they knew for sure they’d spend with their father.
Edith was a frequent visitor. Her father who knew TR’s dad was having financial trouble after the Civil War when his shipping business failed to keep up when ships went from sail to steam.
He was also hit by the Wall Street panics. Edith’s father couldn’t afford vacations on Long Island.
Edith took the L.I.R.R. From Long Island City to Syosset where the Roosevelt's had a carriage waiting to take her the last 6 miles to Oyster Bay.
Sometimes she left from NJ, took a ferry to Manhattan, a trolley to a pier to another boat to Long Island and the l.I.R.R.
