Pine Knot (cabin)

Pine Knot is a historic cabin located 14 miles south of Charlottesville, Virginia in Albemarle County, Virginia. The cabin was owned and occupied by former President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt and his wife Edith Kermit Roosevelt, and used by Roosevelt and the first lady while he was president, although no official business took place there.[3] In 1905, Mrs. Roosevelt spent $280 to purchase the fifteen-acre property with its rustic worker's cabin, and she bought an additional seventy-five acres in 1911. The cabin is owned by the Edith and Theodore Roosevelt Pine Knot Foundation and is open for visits by appointment.[4]

Pine Knot
Fenceline at the edge of the property
LocationVA 712, Glendower, near Charlottesville, Virginia
Coordinates37°51′0″N 78°31′25″W
Area90 acres (36 ha)
Built1905
NRHP reference No.88003211[1]
VLR No.002-0617
Significant dates
Added to NRHPFebruary 1, 1989
Designated VLRApril 19, 1988[2]

Background

The idea of purchasing the cabin was to be an escape for both the First Lady and the President. President Roosevelt was known throughout his presidency to travel frequently, many times to experience the natural wonders of certain areas such as in the states of Oklahoma and Colorado. While traveling Mrs. Roosevelt decided to purchase the property after visiting family friends Joe and Will Wilmer on May 6, 1905. Realizing her husband's love for the surrounding countryside, Mrs. Roosevelt decided to purchase the cabin to help her and her husband "rest and repair" from the strain of political life in Washington D.C. The cabin was surrounded by the wilderness, which appealed to Mrs. Roosevelt. A description characterized it thus: "tucked away among red and white oak, red cedars, dogwoods, red maples and black cherry trees, was a rustic worker's cabin".[5]

The cabin was built in 1905, and is a simple two-story, single-pile frame dwelling. It features a deep, full two-story front porch which extends across the front of the facade. It has an unfinished interior and is without modern conveniences of any kind.[6]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[1]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
  3. Patrick Robbins (July 2, 2010). "Pine Knot: Theodore Roosevelt's Rustic Virginia Retreat". Rural Virginian. Media General. Retrieved 20 Dec 2010.
  4. "History of the TRA". Theodore Roosevelt Association. Retrieved June 29, 2018. ...seeing that the non-profit Edith and Theodore Roosevelt Pine Knot Foundation had the leadership and resources to take over ownership and management of this unique property.
  5. Douglas Brinkley. The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America (2009), pp. 615-616
  6. John S. Salmon and Julie L. Vosmik (December 1987). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Pine Knot" (PDF). Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo
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