A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to Warm Springs, Georgia to visit the cottage Franklin Roosevelt owned. It was his break from Washington and a place where he could swim in the warm pools to help his with his polio.
It was referred to in the media as The Little White House. During my visit there, I could see why Roosevelt loved it so much. It is tucked away near the woods and has a rustic feel. It was probably a great escape for him.
Roosevelt discovered the place when he started going to Warm Spings after he was stricken with Polio in 1921. He became paralyzed from the waist down from that point on.
That could be a career ender for an ambitious polician like Roosevelt.
In 1924 Roosevelt went to Warm Springs for the first time because he heard of the warm waters there that never went below 88 degrees Farenheit. He heard water that warm could help get some feeling back in his legs.
In 1927 he bought the resort and renamed it Roosevelt Warm Spings Institute for Rehabilitation. It is at Warm Springs and dealing with the people there that the very wealthy Roosevelt started to feel empathy with the poor.
In 1932, after winning the Presidency, he had the cottage built in Warm Springs. The cottage has almost all orginial furniture, which is what I look for in quality of historical sites.
Getting to the site will take your through Pine Mountain, Georgia another town steeped in history. You can also see the lack of jobs and opportunities in this part of the country that is having political ramifications today.
Original items at the cottage are, the chair Roosevelt died in, his bedroom, Eleanor Roosevelt’s bedroom (they slept in separate bedrooms after she discovered his affair with Lucy Mercer), their dining room, and two guest houses located on the property.
I highly recommend taking a trip to Warm Springs, Georgia to see The Little White House. As someone that travels to a lot of historical sites, I give this one a 4.7 out of 5.
https://gastateparks.org/LittleWhiteHouse
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/franklin-d-roosevelt-little-white-house-warm-springs
