Park Archives: Roosevelt Campobello International Park

Franklin D. Roosevelt — as a child, a young man, and a President — spent many enjoyable vacations on Campobello Island in New Brunswick's Bay of Fundy. His early associations with Canada were reinforced by later close ties with MacKenzie King, formed when the two leaders led their nations during World War II. Today, FDR's magnificent 34-room summer home is the centre of a unique example of international cooperation — the Roosevelt Campobello International Park.

The 1,134-hectare park is a joint memorial established by Canada and the United States, administered by the Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission as a symbol of the close relationship between the two countries. Within the Park's historic core are the cottage and the grounds where Franklin Roosevelt vacationed. In the Natural Area are the woods, bogs, and beaches where he tramped, and just offshore are the waters where he sailed and relaxed. In FDR's affections, Campobello Island ranked second only to Hyde Park. Campobello was his "beloved island."

Although visitors had been coming to Campobello since 1855, it wasn't until a group of Boston and New York businessmen bought most of the island in 1881 that Campobello's summer trade prospered. Campobello's new owners, the "Campobello Company", constructed three large hotels and leased them to private management. The company hoped to use Campobello's scenic charms to lure guests to the island, and to eventually sell them land for summer homes. The 1880s were the years of great summer resorts, and wealthy people with extensive leisure time flocked to resorts to enjoy long summer vacations.

Both the Canadian and American press advertised Campobello as a summer resort. Hotel brochures promoted unequaled boating (fishing, sailing, rowing, canoeing with Passamaquoddy Indian guides), enjoyable excursions by land and sea, and relief from hay fever. A favourable climate and the natural air-conditioning provided by the ocean were major attractions.

Brochures also touted the island's abundant scenic beauty. "The island . . . has great natural beauty — bold cliffs and headlands, and occasional pebbly beaches on the shores. Forests of spruce, balsampine, and some hardwood. Beautiful walks and drives, either along the shore or through the woods . . ."

In the 1880s and 1890s, well-to-do families from New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Ottawa and Montreal escaped to Campobello by private yacht, steamship, and train. (The best way to reach Campobello from New York and Boston was to take a train to Portland or Bar Harbor and travel the rest of the way by steamship.) Enjoying their vacations at Campobello's hotels, several families purchased land and built summer cottages.

James Roosevelt, his wife Sara, and one year old son Franklin Delano Roosevelt first visited Campobello in 1883. That same year James purchased a partially-completed house and 1.6 hectares of land. By the summer of 1885, the house was finished and the Roosevelts became summer residents. (The site of James' and Sara's cottage, no longer standing, is just north of the FDR summer home.)

The Campobello Company's hotels flourished for a time; however, the resort era was doomed — partly by World War I, partly by the fact summer-long vacations became impractical, and most certainly by the coming of the automobile and its accompanying freedom of movement. Although the Roosevelts and several other American families built summer homes on the island, residential land sales (like hotel attendance) ultimately fell short of the company's expectations. From its beginnings in 1881 until the hotels had all closed by 1910, Campobello's summer trade lasted about 30 years.

From 1883, when Franklin was one year old, until he was stricken by polio in 1921, he spent most of his summers on this rugged and beautiful island on Passamaquoddy Bay. As a young man, the energetic, athletic father taught his children sailing and other pastimes he learned during his childhood on Campobello. He organized hiking expeditions along the cliffs and thrilled the children with games of hare-and-hounds and paper chases. Campobello became as much a part of the lives of his five children as it had been of his.

Sailing was the most important part of the Campobello summer. The Roosevelts enjoyed day-sailing (often picnicking on nearby islands) and cruising — taking three and four day trips around Passamaquoddy Bay, up to St. Andrews, or along the Maine coast. An excerpt from FDR's July 29, 1907 letter to his mother describes one of their trips.

"We left in the Half Moon at 10:30. ..We had to use the engine and went far up into South Bay between the islands and landed for lunch...we did some canoeing before returning at three, getting home at five."

When the Roosevelt children were young, they generally had lessons in the morning and spent the afternoon playing games, horseback riding, and "messing around" in boats. Other land-based outdoor activities included golf, tennis, picnics, swimming, bicycling, hiking, shooting, and watching birds and other life from the pathways or along the shore. As evenings could be cool and days foggy, indoor activities played an important role in the summer routine. FDR spent time working on his stamp collection; the children played games; Eleanor knitted, wrote letters, and read. In the evenings, she regularly read aloud to the children and guests. Dancing at the club house, evening parties for the children, such as hay rides and taffy pulls, were other enjoyments. Franklin and Eleanor and their young family loved Campobello, though FDR's growing political responsibilities soon limited his visits to a few days at a time.

In 1920, Franklin campaigned for the vice-presidency in the presidential election. When the Democratic ticket was defeated, he took charge of the New York office of the Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland as a vice-president. By August of 1921, he looked forward to a good rest at his beloved Campobello. When FDR arrived, he and the family plunged into a wild and whooping, sailing and picnicking time together. But during this first extended summer at Campobello in more than a decade, Franklin ran a high fever and his legs suddenly grew weak. "My left leg lagged," he recalled. "Presently it refused to work, and then the other..." At the age of 39, he had contracted infantile paralysis (polio). Polio, a recurring epidemic throughout the first half of the 20th century, was an infectious viral disease that could paralyze its victims. After five weeks of almost total immobility, FDR was carried off the island on a stretcher. A waiting boat took him to Eastport, where he was put aboard a train for New York.

FDR's love for the island and his long association with its people left a lasting impression, and although Eleanor and the five children continued to visit Campobello during the summers, his convalescence and active involvement in politics prevented his return. He served four years as Governor of New York State (1929-1933) and ran for president against Herbert Hoover. Campaigning vigorously and promising a "new deal for the American people", FDR was elected in a landslide. The "New Deal" profoundly changed the U.S. by introducing social security and unemployment insurance, price supports for farmers, a minimum wage for workers, insurance for bank deposits, and regulation of the stock market.

After his polio attack, Franklin did not return to Campobello for nearly twelve years, and then for only three visits: in 1933, 1936, and 1939. While these visits were few and brief, FDR retained his love for the island and its people, and drew strength from his visits and from his happy memories of Campobello.

With the signing of an international treaty on January 22, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson and Prime Minister Lester Pearson created the Roosevelt Campobello International Park as a memorial to President Roosevelt. The park is a tangible symbol of the enduring friendship between Canada and the United States. It is Canadian soil that has become part of America's heritage, preserved for the future through the commitment of the citizens and governments of both countries.

In its forty-seat theatre, the Park's Visitor Centre offers the introductory video Beloved Island, a portrait of the island and its impact on Franklin Roosevelt. Historic photographs, artifacts, text, and audio presentations in the "Roosevelts on Campobello" exhibit interpret the Roosevelt story from the time FDR and his parents first visited Campobello through his battle with polio, his presidency, and the establishment of the Park. A second exhibit, "A Legacy of Friendship", highlights the remarkable closeness and cooperation that exist between Canada and the United States, focusing on the Canadian-United States shared heritage, the unique spirit of cooperation between the countries on trade, environmental, and military issues, and the strong relationship between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister MacKenzie King.

After leaving the Visitor Centre, visitors can first enjoy beautiful flower gardens and a guided tour of the historic grounds, or go directly to the Roosevelt Cottage. Inside Franklin and Eleanor's summer home, knowledgeable guides offer interpretation and answer questions about the cottage, its historic furnishings, and the family. Visitors may tour both floors of the cottage and usually exit from the kitchen door after about twenty minutes. For those unable to take the cottage tour or walk the stairs to the second floor, videos of both the first and second floors are available in the Visitor Centre.

Boston architect Willard T. Sears designed the cottage, built in 1897 for Mrs. Hartman Kuhn, an early guest of the Campobello hotels. When Mrs. Kuhn (who was fond of Eleanor) died, a provision in her will offered the cottage to FDR's mother, Sara, at a bargain price of $5000. Sara purchased the cottage, furnished, and two hectares of land in 1909. Franklin, Eleanor, and their children first vacationed in what is now called the "Roosevelt Cottage" that year and enjoyed summers in the cottage from 1909 to 1921, when Franklin contracted polio. Upon Sara's death in 1941, she bequeathed the cottage to Franklin.

The FDR cottage exhibits architectural design principles of the Arts and Crafts Movement, with specific references to early American colonial architecture. Comfort and simplicity, primary considerations in the design of summer homes of the era, are evident design features. There was no electricity; the nearest phone was at the store in Welshpool.

The two-and-a-half story structure is of wood-frame construction, originally completely covered with cedar shingles. (For fire prevention, asphalt shingles now cover the roof.) It rested on wooden posts set in the ground. All the trim is wood; interiors are finished with lath and plaster, with a generous use of wooden trim for windows, doors, and baseboards. Franklin altered the design of the cottage in 1915, when he had a new wing added to provide additional space for his growing family. The addition blends well with the main house, reflecting Sears' original design. Near the cottage are pleasant walks by attractive gardens, wooded paths, and fields. Scenic vistas overlook the islands and shores of Passamaquoddy and Cobscook Bays in New Brunswick and Maine. To the west of the cottage grounds is Friar's Head, where the Park Commission maintains a picnic area and nature trail with splendid views of the bays.

In the late 1800s, other wealthy American families stayed at the resort hotels, invested in Campobello property, and built summer cottages. Of those that were built, only four of the other turn-of-the-century cottages, now owned by the Park Commission, still stand. The Roosevelt cottage is flanked on the left by the Prince Cottage and on the right by the Hubbard Cottage. As immediate neighbors, the Roosevelts and Hubbards enjoyed picnics, summer outings, and sailing together. Across the highway, east of the Hubbard Cottage, are the Wells-Shober and Johnston Cottages. All four of these cottages have been handsomely redone and furnished to provide pleasant overnight facilities for participants in the Commission's conference program. The Prince Cottage also serves as the dining centre for conference groups. Only the Roosevelt Cottage is open for tours.

Many areas of the Park are accessible to those of differing abilities. Disabled parking is available at the Visitor Centre, Friar's Head, and Eagle Hill Bog. The Visitor Centre has accessible restroom facilities and the film shown in the theatre is closed-captioned. Easy access to the first floor of the Roosevelt cottage is provided by a ramp. Although not all features of the Natural Area are available to those with mobility concerns, the Park Commission strives to make the Natural Area as accessible as possible. Park drives lead to many areas from which scenic vistas can be enjoyed from a vehicle, and the observation deck at Friar's Head is accessible by wheelchair. Accessible outdoor toilets are located at Raccoon Beach and Friar's Head.

In 1980, the Roosevelt Campobello International Park Commission adopted a logo based on President Roosevelt's design for his matchbook covers. The letters "FDR" form a sailboat, representative of his favourite pastime. To signify participation by Canada and the United States in the joint operation of the Park, the Commission added a star over the bow and a maple leaf over the stern.

The Park Commission purchased the 1,134 hectares of land that make up the Natural Area to protect the Roosevelt Cottage and the Park's historic core from encroaching development. The purchase also provided a natural setting for the historic FDR summer home. This natural setting includes coastal headlands, rocky cliffs and shores, sand, gravel, and cobble beaches, sphagnum bogs, fields and forest.

Today, the Commission's wooded trails, scenic overlooks, and picturesque picnic areas are here for you to enjoy, and to offer you an experience similar to that enjoyed by the Roosevelt family when they came to Campobello. During that era, a system of carriage and surrey drives provided access to points of interest in what is now either Roosevelt Campobello International Park or Herring Cove Provincial Park. Park drives serve the same role today. Vegetation is allowed to remain close to the road to retain the original character of the drives. The drives are not suitable for campers, buses, or recreational vehicles.

Very little of the forest cover of the Roosevelt period remains as the interim owners logged the island for pulpwood. Natural succession and recovery have taken place and will be allowed to continue. In addition to forest regeneration, other interesting features of the Natural Area are the exceptional quality of landscapes and coastline and the dynamic processes that shape the island's environment.

No doubt the Roosevelt family greatly appreciated the magnificent vistas of the region as they sailed the many bays and inlets and walked along the headlands and beaches. Today, the island's varied habitats and the scenic beauty, uncrowded conditions, cool forest trails, rocky coves, and balsam-scented forests continue to attract and charm visitors to Campobello just as they attracted and charmed the Roosevelt family and other summer visitors summer after summer over 100 years ago.

Friar's Head was given its name by the large rock formation called the "Old Friar" at the head's outer end, clearly seen from the beach below the Roosevelt cottage. From the summit of the headland, a short walk from the parking area, are splendid views of the bay and surrounding islands. During Campobello's resort era, the developers of the Owen Hotel constructed a pavilion atop Friar's Head for use as a picnic and viewing area. On the site of the original pavilion, an observation deck and interpretive panels now link the present with the past.

Below the parking area are picnic tables, charcoal grills, a well with a hand pump, an outdoor toilet, cleared fields, and walking trails. Friar's Head is a great place to enjoy a picnic.

Three gravel drives have been developed in the Natural Area. These drives are off the gravel Glensevern Road, directly across the highway from the entrance to the Visitor Centre and the Roosevelt Cottage.

The Cranberry Point Drive begins within sight of the highway. It passes through second growth woods of native trees and shrubs that have grown from logged-over areas. Along the first part of the drive, the forest has regenerated not from logging, but from a severe spruce budworm infestation in the mid 1980s. The first picnic site on the drive is the Fox Farm, a former cultivated area where foxes were once raised or "farmed" for their pelts. The beach is accessible here and views include the town of Lubec and the black and white Channel Lighthouse, sometimes called the "Sparkplug."

South of Fox Farm is Cranberry Point, where a picnic site and a gravel beach offer views of the southern portion of Campobello Island, Grand Manan Channel, and West Quoddy Head, a Maine State Park. Continuing from Cranberry Point, the drive passes another small picnic site and arrives at the Upper Duck Pond. The Upper Duck "Pond" is the salt water cove open to the ocean. Being sheltered, it is a favourite stopping place for migratory waterfowl and shorebirds. Islanders often dig soft-shelled clams here. A miniature estuary, exhibiting most of the features and vegetation of a typical larger estuary, opens into the cove. The round trip distance of the Cranberry Point drive is 8.7 kilometres.

Directly across from the Park entrance, about three kilometres down the Glensevern Road is the Liberty Point Drive. The drive's first picnic site is Con Robinson's Point, where evidence of past glaciation, perhaps as recently as 12,000-14,000 years ago, is well exposed. The tops of the exposed rusty-coloured outcrops were smoothed and polished by the scouring action of glacial ice, and the glacial deposits of sand and gravel play an important role in shaping impressions of the Park. Their textural and colour differences present a striking contrast to the hard, polished surfaces of the bedrock. This great diversity, as displayed by the rocks in the deposits and beach sediments at Con Robinson's Point, is silent testimony to glacial processes that worked across great distances and over many rock types. Picnic tables, steps to a fine beach, and an excellent view of the Wolf Islands are found at Con Robinson's Point.

A short distance beyond is Raccoon Beach, where picnic tables invite visitors to stop for lunch and where steps allows easy access to the shore. The distant views here, on a clear day, are of Point Lepreau (to the left) on Canada's mainland, the Wolf Islands, and, to the right, the North Head of Grand Manan Island. Ninety-seven kilometres across the Bay of Fundy, too far to be seen from sea level, is Nova Scotia. Just offshore, visitors might see harbour seals, but are more likely to see waterfowl and gulls. Ducks seen here are likely common eiders. The males are black and white; the females and young are brown. The gulls are usually either herring or black-backed gulls. Sightings of bald eagles or osprey are common.

Continuing from Raccoon Beach, the drive passes through areas of both hardwood (mostly yellow birch), and spruce-fir softwood before arriving at beach level at Lower Duck Pond. Lower Duck Pond views include Liberty Point, to the left, the southern tip of Grand Manan Island, in the distance at left, and West Quoddy Head Lighthouse in South Lubec. The beach graduates from rock to sand and even on broiling summer days offers a cool, pleasant spot to walk, picnic, or just sit and enjoy the view. Although the cobble "barrier" beach separates the ocean from a fresh-to-brackish pond behind it, Lower Duck "Pond" is actually the large salt water cove, another favourite stopping place for common eider ducks, black ducks, and shorebirds during spring and fall migrations. Behind the barrier beach is Lower Duck Pond Bog, a sphagnum bog 4-3 metres deep and determined by carbon 14 testing to be about 7,000 years old.

From the Lower Duck Pond, the drive continues to the Yellow Bank picnic site and its views of the Lower Duck Pond and Bog and West Quoddy Head. Beyond Yellow Bank, and just before Liberty Point, the drive passes through what has been called the "fog forest", named for the great number of days it is covered by cold fog. Fog forest trees are subjected to limited light, low temperatures, 100% humidity, and, at times, wind-driven salt spray. The forest floor is carpeted with mosses, not the ferns found in other sections of the Natural Area.

Beyond the fog forest is Liberty Point and its two small observation decks. The view from the west deck, southwest across the Lubec Channel, includes the distant candy-striped West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. From the east observation deck are views of the cliffs of Grand Manan Island, some 10 kilometres offshore, nearby Sugar Loaf Rock, and the broad sweep of Liberty Cove leading to the "Sunsweep" sculpture on Ragged Point. The Sunsweep Trail connects Liberty and Ragged Points. At the trail's end on Ragged Point is a 1.5-metre tall sculpture donated to the people of Campobello as a symbol of international friendship. The flame-finished, black granite sculpture is the easternmost of a series of three such sculptures sited along the length of the Canadian-United States boundary.

The rugged cliffs and blocky nature of Liberty and Ragged Points are the result of faulting and other earth movements. Alternate seasonal freezing and thawing of water in rock cracks and joint surfaces combined with the relentless pounding of the sea to sculpt Sugar Loaf Rock, which to some viewers resembles a frog or a turtle. Bright patches of golden and yellow lichen add colour to the scene and participate in the chemical decay of the rocks. From Liberty Point's cliffs and ledges, visitors may see waterfowl and sea birds, and, on occasion, whales, porpoises, and dolphins. Harbour seals may often be seen from the western deck, sunning on offshore ledges. Without binoculars or telephoto lens, the seals look like oval, light-brown boulders.

A round trip drive from the Park entrance to Liberty Point covers approximately 13.0 kilometres.

Fox Hill Drive connects the Cranberry and Liberty Point Drives. The 3.5-kilometre road passes by and through scenic rock outcroppings, bogs, and hardwood and softwood forests and offers an alternate route to the highway.

Roughly one-third of the Park's 1,134-hectare Natural Area is raised, heath-covered bogs. These bogs are also called heaths, after the heath family of plants to which many of the most common shrubs belong. Several stages of bog development are found in the Natural Area. These include beaver ponds, grassy marshes or fens, and brushy marshes — all on their way to becoming bogs if their progress is not interrupted by flooding, draining, or burning.

The best place in the Park to see a heath-covered surface of a bog is from the wooden pathway at Eagle Hill Bog, 2.9 kilometres from the highway down the Glensevern Road. The pathway offers an excellent "dry" opportunity to explore the bog and to view the vegetation there. Resting benches and interpretive panels make the walk more enjoyable. An observation deck, connected to the wooden pathway by a short section of trail, offers a scenic overview from Eagle Hill.

The Mulholland Point Lighthouse was built in 1885 to serve as a guide for the many small coasters and freighters passing through the narrow Lubec Channel. From the Mulholland Point picnic area, visitors enjoy views of the FDR Memorial Bridge, the Channel Lighthouse, Lubec, Maine, the islands and waters of Johnson's Bay, and harbour seals. The interior of the lighthouse is not open to the public.

The Park's drives are regarded as a foundation from which walking trails lead through and to many interesting and picturesque locations. The trails are designed to offer short hikes, or moderate to long hikes when travelled in combination. (This may require walking a short distance down a drive to reach the next trail.) All trails are well cleared, clearly identified, and easy to follow. Difficulty varies with the trail.

The Park opens the Saturday following Victoria Day (the Saturday prior to U.S. Memorial Day), and remains open through Canadian Thanksgiving (U.S. Columbus Day). Visiting hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. A.D.T. (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. E.D.T.) seven days a week. The last tour of the cottage is at 5:45 A.D.T. (4:45 E.D.T.). There is no admission charge. Although the Roosevelt Cottage is closed to inside tours after Canadian Thanksgiving/U.S. Columbus Day, the Park's Visitor Centre remains open through the end of October for the convenience of fall travelers. The Park's Natural Area is open year-round.

Although we have made efforts to keep your visit enjoyable and safe, please understand that hazards exist and that you are responsible for your personal safety. Supervise children under your care. Plants with poisonous berries are present — do not eat berries you cannot identify. Be aware that wasps, hornets and bees may build nests near trails, observation areas, and picnic sites. Do not approach any wild animal that appears tame or that acts in an unusual manner. Algae, moss-covered, muddy, or wet logs, rocks, foot bridges, steps, walkways, and decks can be slippery. Roots and rocks may make trail surfaces uneven. Foot bridges are narrow and may be uneven. Several Park observation areas and trails are near steep cliffs and ledges; banks close to the shore may be undermined. For personal safety and to protect the environment, stay on identified trails, walk with caution, and wear appropriate footwear. Strong winds, currents, and large waves and tidal ranges can make boating and swimming hazardous. The ocean is cold and can induce hypothermia rapidly.

Overnight camping in the Roosevelt Campobello International Park is not allowed, but just "next door" Herring Cove Provincial Park has 100 campsites, forty with electrical hookups. Herring Cove, with its scenic overlook, 7.6 kilometres of excellent woodland and shoreline walking trails, beautiful 1.3-kilometre sand and cobble beach, and challenging nine-hole golf course is well worth a visit.

Worth a visit, too, is West Quoddy Head State Park, with its rugged coast, scenic vistas, and beautiful trails. Home of the famous candy-striped West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, the park is only 12.3 kilometres away in Lubec, Maine, and is the easternmost point of land in the continental U.S.

The contents of brochures, site bulletins and trading cards (denoted with a colored caption) can be viewed by clicking on the cover. Most modern-day brochures, however, are cover only (denoted by a white caption) due to photograph copyrights. These items are historical in scope and are intended for educational purposes only; they are not meant as an aid for travel planning. The dates under each brochure do not reflect the complete range of years that a particular brochure was issued.

Date Unknown, c1980s	Date Unknown, c2000s	Date Unknown	Date Unknown	Date Unknown	Date Unknown
Date Unknown	Roosevelt Campobello International Park Natural Area Date Unknown	Birds of Campobello Date Unknown	Carriage Road Drives Date Unknown	Self-guiding Tour of Eagle Hill Bog Date Unknown	The FDR Summer Home Date Unknown
Trails Date Unknown	1986		2019
Campobello Island Date Unknown	Discover Campobello Island Date Unknown

The following visual bibliography is just a sampling of the handbooks and books which have been published for this park. NPSHistory.com does not endorse these, but are merely presenting them for informational purposes only. As most are copyrighted, we are only able to provide the covers, and not contents, of these publications.

cover only

25th Anniversary Roosevelt Campobello International Park
1989

cover only

Eleanor Roosevelt on Campobello
Date Unknown