The Little White House - Warm Springs, Georgia
The Little White House was the personal retreat of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, located in the Historic District of Warm Springs, Georgia. He first came to Warm Springs (formerly known as Bullochville) in 1924 for polio treatment, and liked the area so much that, as Governor of New York, he had a home built on nearby Pine Mountain. The house was finished in 1932. Roosevelt kept the house after he became President, using it as a presidential retreat. He died there on April 12, 1945, three months into his fourth term.
The house was opened to the public as a museum in 1948. A major attraction of the museum is the portrait that the artist Elizabeth Shoumatoff was painting of him when he died, now known as the "Unfinished Portrait." It hangs near a finished portrait that Shoumatoff completed later from sketches and memory.
The house is operated by the State of Georgia as the Little White House Historic Site, also known as Roosevelt's Little White House Historic Site. Most of Roosevelt's property was willed to Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, which gained control of all the properties in 1948 except for the Georgia Wilkins Cottage, which Wilkins lived in until her 1959 death. Both John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Jimmy Carter in 1976 used the property for their campaigns to become president; Carter even launched his campaign there.
Things to do and see:
In addition to visiting the Little White House, we recommend you visit and hike the FDR State Park which is right down the road. This park is Georgia’s largest and has plenty of hiking, camping, and fishing. We would consider it the crown jewel of Georgia’s state parks.
Coversations/Things we learned:
We found this place a good half day to all day visit. This preserved historical site takes you back to the time of our greatest generation of Americans. After visiting places like Los Alamos New Mexico, Oak Ridge Tennesse, and various World War Two Museums, this is vital park of the travel collection. This is a place you go out of your way to visit.
Contact information:
401 Little White House Road
Warm Springs, GA 31830
Meriwether County
Historic Site: 706-655-5870
Gift Shop: 706-655-2311
Website:
https://gastateparks.org/LittleWhiteHouse
