Little White House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Little White House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
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| Location | Warm Springs, Georgia |
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| Built | 1932 |
| Part of | Warm Springs Historic District (ID74000694) |
| Designated CP | July 30, 1974 |
The Little White House was a special home for Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was the 32nd President of the United States. This house is in Warm Springs, Georgia.
Roosevelt first visited Warm Springs in 1924. He came for treatment because he had poliomyelitis, a sickness that affected his legs. He loved the area so much that he decided to build a home there. The house was finished in 1932. Even after he became President, he kept using it as a quiet place to relax. President Roosevelt passed away in this house on April 12, 1945.
Today, the Little White House is a museum. It opened to the public in 1948. One famous item you can see is a portrait of Roosevelt. An artist named Elizabeth Shoumatoff was painting it when he died. It's now called the "Unfinished Portrait". Another finished portrait, made later by the same artist, hangs nearby.
The State of Georgia runs the house. It's known as the Little White House Historic Site.
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History of the Little White House
People from Georgia, especially Savannah, started visiting Warm Springs a long time ago. They came in the late 1700s to escape sickness. The warm springs in the area were very popular. Later, in the late 1800s, people from Atlanta also came to relax. They would travel by train to a town called Durand and then go to Warm Springs.
In 1921, when he was 39, Roosevelt got very sick with poliomyelitis. This disease made it hard for him to move. He found that being in warm water helped ease his pain. He first came to Warm Springs in October 1924. There was a resort with a natural spring that was always 88 °F (31 °C). Roosevelt bought the resort and the land around it in 1927. This place later became the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation.
Five years later, in 1932, Roosevelt won the election to become President. He then had a six-room house built on his property. This house was made of Georgia pine. It became his special retreat during his time as President. He visited the Little White House 16 times while he was President. Each visit usually lasted two to three weeks. It took a whole day to travel there from Washington, D.C., by train.
The Little White House is a simple, six-room house. It's built in a style called Colonial Revival. Three of the rooms were bedrooms: one for Roosevelt, one for his wife Eleanor, and one for his personal helper. The other rooms included an entrance hall, a living room, and a kitchen. A garage and servant's quarters were built in 1932. A guesthouse was added in 1933.
World War II changed Roosevelt's visits to the Little White House. He didn't visit at all in 1942 because he was busy with the war. From 1943 to 1945, he visited more often. This was likely because his favorite vacation, sailing on the ocean, was too dangerous during wartime. Soldiers from Fort Benning were even stationed at the Little White House to keep the area safe.
His very last trip to the Little White House was on March 30, 1945. He felt he needed more rest than he could get at his home in Hyde Park. People who saw him in Warm Springs said he looked very tired. On April 12, 1945, he was having his portrait painted at the Little White House. He then had a stroke and passed away two hours later.
After Roosevelt's death, most of his property went to a foundation in 1948. Both John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Jimmy Carter in 1976 used the property for their campaigns to become president. Carter even started his campaign there.
Visiting the Little White House Today
Today, the Little White House is part of Georgia's state park system. It is open for everyone to visit. The house has been kept just as it was on the day Roosevelt died. All the buildings and furniture are original.
Besides the Unfinished Portrait, you can see other interesting things. These include his special 1938 Ford car and his old stagecoach.
On August 9, 2011, two cottages on the Roosevelt Institute Hospital grounds were destroyed in a fire. Investigators believed lightning caused the fire.
Images for kids
The Little White House
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Floor plan
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Bedroom where Roosevelt died
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The President's Desk
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Eleanor Roosevelt's Bedroom
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Living Room
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Dining Room
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Entrance Hall
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Kitchen
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Butler's Pantry
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Servants' Quarters
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Sun Deck
Memorial Museum
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FDR's 1938 Ford
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Custom built 1940 Willys roadster
Warm Springs Pools
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Historic Pools Museum
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Warm Springs Pool
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FDR at Warm Springs (1928)
