A Visit to FDR's Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia

Ninety minutes south of Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport is a small town called Warm Springs. It is named after the springs of warm, mineral-rich water that were said to have healing and rejuvenating powers for those who swam in it. These waters are what drew Franklin Delano Roosevelt here in 1924 to help him in his struggle with Polio. In 1932, Roosevelt, then President of the United States, built a vacation home for himself not far from the healing springs. This became known as the Little White House; a place where the President could come and relax and be himself.

According to historians, Roosevelt visited his Little White House sixteen times between 1932 and 1945. On April 12th, 1945, Roosevelt died of a massive stroke while posing for a portrait and editing a speech he was to give the next day. His body was transported to Washington DC the next day for a state funeral and then on to New York, his home state, where he was laid to rest. The Little White House where he spent his last hours was left almost untouched as it was the day he died. It has been preserved and cared for for over sixty years.

Today the Little White House and its grounds is a state park. A museum and walking trail have been built on the site to show how FDR lived all those years ago. They have preserved many historical relics of his life and Presidency here as well as a "Walk of the States." Each state sent a rock of significance with an inscription on it to the historical foundation and they were placed along a walkway between the museum and the Little White House. An example of a rock of significance is the one from Washington state (my home state) which was removed to build a dam that Roosevelt made possible.

My visit to the Little White House started with a beautiful drive through the Pine Mountain area. The views were breathtaking, especially with all of the color of the autumn leaves. We arrived at the Little White House in the afternoon, parked our car and walked up the steps to the museum entrance. I was surprised at how small the structure was. Honestly, I expected little out of the experience because the outside was rather plain. I was, however, sorely mistaken.

Upon entering we were greeted by a park services worker who not only charged us half the admission price because there was only a little over an hour before the site would close, but also gave us a friendly introduction and orientation to the site. With visitor guides in hand we set off into the museum. The first thing you see is a time-line of FDR's life from childhood to death. The pathway is lined with photos of FDR as president. Then, the hallway opens into a large room with an old automobile and a horse-drawn carriage featured in the center. The room is full of items from Roosevelt's personal life and from his Presidency. It follows the progression through the Great Depression and into World War Two. Of special note is FDR's car which he personally deigned modifications to in order to make it drive entirely by hand! He actually engineered a lever for the gas and a lever that controlled the brake and clutch. I had no idea that Roosevelt was an inventor on top of everything else. Also of note is the wall of canes. When Americans found out that Roosevelt couldn't walk, they sent hand-made walking canes to his Little White House for him in hopes he would use them and they would be seen in newspaper photos. There were probably fifty displayed along this wall, which was only a portion of what was sent.

After the wall of canes, you exit the museum onto a walkway that takes you either directly to the Little White House or indirectly via the Walk of the States to the Little White House. The Walk of the States is interesting, but we didn't linger long looking at rocks. We wanted to get to the good part. As you crest the little rise, the first thing you see is the original front gate and secret service guard houses that mark the entrance to the property. Beyond that is the servants quarters and car garage and the guest house. You can walk into these buildings to see how the servants lived and how Roosevelt's guests were treated. These have been largely preserved as they were when FDR died in 1945. Beyond these is the Little White House itself.

It's a small house, but it manages to seem large. The tour has you enter through the side door into the kitchen. The appliances and cookware that was used is preserved as it was. There are little signs everywhere that give tid-bits of information about what went on when FDR was living there. From the kitchen, you walk through the pantry into the entryway and then into the living and dining room. The whole house smells like natural wood. You can see the rock fireplace was assembled by hand and the craftsmanship of the furniture. It seems like a place a normal person would live and relax. But this is where a great historical figure came to recuperate from a debilitating illness. The tour takes you out onto the back deck where FDR would eat and read his paper. You can see his secretary's bedroom to one side. Off the edge of the deck are little shacks that were Marine Corps sentry posts manned by the then nearby Marine Corps Camp. From the deck you go back into the house through Roosevelt's bedroom. You can see the bed where he died and his writing desk where he composed much of his New Deal reforms. From there into the bathroom and then into his wife and children's' room where they would stay when they visited him. Finally back into the entryway and out the front door.

The tour ends, except for the gift shop, with a room of unfinished memories of FDR. His unfinished portrait. His unfinished speech. And his legacy left behind after his four terms in office. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a great man and he did more to bring our country into a new age than anyone else in history that I can think of. This place where he came to regain his strength while leading the world through some of it's darkest times is nothing short of amazing to see. The next time you're in the Atlanta area or anywhere in Georgia, take the time to see this place. It will leave an indelible mark on your mind and give you insight into just what ordinary people are capable of accomplishing.