"Sagamore Hill: Theodore Roosevelt's Summer White House:" A PowerPoint lecture that covers how the Roosevelt family began to visit Oyster Bay during the Civil War and Theodore Roosevelt built his dream house at Sagamore Hill where he hosted political guests like Henry Cabot Lodge and cultural luminaries like novelist Edith Wharton. Roosevelt spent his final years happily at Sagamore Hill, and after his death in 1919 the house was preserved by his widow, the Theodore Roosevelt Association and eventually the National Park Service.

Presented by: Bill Bleyer, a prizewinning staff writer for Newsday for 33 years specializing in history and maritime issues before retiring in 2014 to write books and freelance for the newspaper and magazines.

He has written seven books published by the History Press: “The Roosevelts in New York City” (2025); The Sinking of the Steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound (2023); George Washington’s Long Island Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide (2021); Long Island and the Sea: A Maritime History (2019); Fire Island Lighthouse: Long Island’s Welcoming Beacon (2017); Sagamore Hill: Theodore Roosevelt’s Summer White House (2016); and, with co-author Harrison Hunt, Long Island and the Civil War (2015).

He has been featured on C-Span and his work has been published in American Heritage, in Smithsonian magazine’s digital edition and in America’s Civil War, Naval History, Sea History, Lighthouse Digest, Civil War News and other publications.  Get more about Bill, his books and lectures at his website: billbleyer.com.