Homes - of FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Vanderbilts

In Hyde Park New York, we visited the birthplace and home and burial place of our 32nd president, Franklin D Roosevelt.

The home has original furnishings because it was intended to be a place to represent the Roosevelt family after FDR's death.

Although FDR grew up in this home, after his legs were paralyzed by polio, he could no longer climb the stairs and this elevator was installed. He used the rope to pull himself in the elevator up to the second floor.

FDR second-story bedroom window overlooked this beautiful view of the backyard running right to the Hudson river.

The burial place.

Next we drove a couple miles to what would've been the other end of FDR's family property where there was a cottage that he and Eleanor built for her to have a place away from his mother.

Eleanor's desk

The table she ate at with many world leaders.

The only thing we could touch was this bench where Mrs. Roosevelt herself actually sat.

And just down the road, with this beautiful view from the property,

is a Vanderbilt mansion - one of many.

The Vanderbilts were new money, so it seems everything that they put in their home was there for people to ask them where they got it and how much they spent on it. It doesn't seem like there was any other rhyme or reason to what they put together.