Story of Val-Kill

The Stone cottage was erected in 1925,
the idea of Franklin Roosevelt who wanted
a place for his wife and friends to have for
themselves. The idea was to build a place
where they could entertain their guests and
work for their causes on their own terms.
Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman made
the cottage their home until 1947, while
Eleanor shared the cottage with them on
weekends and vacations. The three were
deeply involved together in the state
democratic party and as social activists,
and the cottage became the center for
their political activism.

Shortly after the cottage was built,
another building was erected on the property,
the Val-Kill Furniture Shop. The three friends,
along with friend Caroline O’Day, established
the furniture shop in an effort to help the
local economy and increase business for local
farmers during the off-season so that they
would not have to leave the area in search
of a source of income. The effort soon grew to
include not only furniture making, but also
pewter making and weaving, all under the
constructs of the freshly named Val-Kill
Industries. The effort saw its end in 1936 when
the factory was shut down due to lack of
financial success, partly a result of the Depression.

The closing of the factory gave Eleanor her first chance to create her own home. In 1937, she converted the old factory into an apartment for herself and her personal secretary, Malvina “Tommy” Thompson. While she still maintained residence with her husband at the Roosevelt home, Val-Kill remained her escape and her place to entertain her own guests. Her apartment in the factory became her permanent residence after the death of her husband in 1945.

After Eleanor’s death in her New York apartment in 1962, her son John took over the Val-Kill estate and had the home converted into four small apartments that were rented out while he took up residence of the stone cottage. In 1970, the house was sold to private developers with the intent to convert the home into a nursing home/retirement community. In 1976, a group was formed consisting of state and local figures as well as Roosevelt family members to save the Val-Kill estate from development and transform it into a conference center. Their efforts sparked interest in creating a national historic site for Eleanor. In May 1977, President Carted signed the bill creating the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historical Site, “in order to commemorate for the educations and inspiration, and benefit of present and future generations the life work of an outstanding woman in American history.”

The Val-Kill estate has since been refurbished to close to its original state when Eleanor occupied it during her life. The National Park Service maintains the entire Val-Kill site and provides tours for the general public. The Stone Cottage is maintained by the Friends Committee of ERVK.