Collections

The museum collections for Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site number approximately 9,000 artifacts and include furniture, tablewares, artworks, books, carriages, sleighs, and many personal items associated with the Roosevelt family. About 40 percent of the collections are on permanent exhibit in President Roosevelt's home. Objects in storage are available for research by appointment.

 

Explore the Museum Collection

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  Family Portraits

  FDR's family heritage is illustrated by the collection of portraits that decorate the rooms at Springwood.

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  Paintings

  Works of art collected by Franklin D. Roosevelt and his parents.

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  Furniture

  The Roosevelt family home is filled with furnishings from Europe and America illustrating a range of historic styles.

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  Disability Things

  Our collection of wheelchairs, some of them designed by FDR.

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  Memorabilia

  Memorabilia treasured by the Roosevelts tells the story of their multifaceted lives.

 

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Highlights from the Collection

 

HOFR 1644

Fala's Navy Coat. Among presidential pets, FDR's Scottish Terrier, Fala, is perhaps the most famous. Fala and his White House antics were frequently subjects of the press and often referenced by Roosevelt himself. In a speech delivered to the Teamsters Union on 23 September 1944, FDR addressed a malicious rumor that he had ordered a U.S. Navy destroyer to the Aleutian Islands to retrieve the misplaced Fala. Fala did, however, accompany President Roosevelt at sea on occasion. Fala was present with FDR and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill somewhere in the Atlantic aboard the U.S. Cruiser Augusta on 9 August 1941. Both men traveled in secret (FDR was on a ten-day "fishing trip"). The result of this meeting was the Atlantic Charter, a statement issued on 14 August 1941 that set out American and British goals for the world after the end of World War II. The adherents to the Atlantic Charter signed the Declaration by United Nations in 1942, which became the basis for the modern United Nations.