Presidential Retreats
Where They Went and Why They Went There
New York : Threshold Books, 2012.
Format: Book
Edition: First Threshold Editions trade paperback edition.
Description: xiv, 338 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 23 cm
A fascinating history of U.S. presidential vacation spots--collected for the first time in one guide that covers everything from Mount Vernon to Kennebunkport to Camp David.
Where do you go to relax when you're the leader of the free world?
Even the president needs to get away from it all sometimes. From George Washington to Barack Obama, each of our presidents has sought solace from the tightly structured daily routines of the White House. As Ronald Reagan once said of his California ranch, "I do some of my best thinking there." Peter Hannaford takes readers on a fascinating armchair vacation with each of our leaders, offering unique historical context for the why and the where of their chosen retreats.
Which president asked visiting foreign dignitaries to send him seeds to plant at his family home? Who called his vacation property "Sherwood Forest" because it was "a good place for an outlaw"? Which adventure-loving Commander-in- Chief set up a Summer White House in New York every year? Who liked to cruise aboard the presidential yacht when faced with momentous wartime decisions? Who polled the American people to help him decide where to vacation?
Presidential Retreats explores a side of the American presidency that we don't often see--the downtime--as it offers an intriguing glimpse at the evolution of leisure time in this country.
Where do you go to relax when you're the leader of the free world?
Even the president needs to get away from it all sometimes. From George Washington to Barack Obama, each of our presidents has sought solace from the tightly structured daily routines of the White House. As Ronald Reagan once said of his California ranch, "I do some of my best thinking there." Peter Hannaford takes readers on a fascinating armchair vacation with each of our leaders, offering unique historical context for the why and the where of their chosen retreats.
Which president asked visiting foreign dignitaries to send him seeds to plant at his family home? Who called his vacation property "Sherwood Forest" because it was "a good place for an outlaw"? Which adventure-loving Commander-in- Chief set up a Summer White House in New York every year? Who liked to cruise aboard the presidential yacht when faced with momentous wartime decisions? Who polled the American people to help him decide where to vacation?
Presidential Retreats explores a side of the American presidency that we don't often see--the downtime--as it offers an intriguing glimpse at the evolution of leisure time in this country.
Contents:
George Washington, Mount Vernon, Virginia -- John Adams, Adams National Historical Park, Massachusetts -- Thomas Jefferson, Poplar Forest, Virginia -- James Madison, Montpelier, Virginia -- James Monroe, Ash Lawn-Highland, Virginia -- John Quincy Adams, Adams National Historical Park, Massachusetts -- Andrew Jackson, The Hermitage, Tennessee -- Martin Van Buren, Lindenwald, Ohio -- William Henry Harrison, Berkeley Plantation, Virginia -- John Tyler, Sherwood Forest, Virginia -- James K. Polk, The Polk Home, Tennessee -- Zachary Taylor, Springfield, Kentucky -- Millard Fillmore, The Fillmore Mansion, New York -- Franklin Pierce, The Pierce Manse, Massachusetts -- James Buchanan, Wheatland, Massachussetts -- Abraham Lincoln, 16th The Lincoln Cottage, Washington D.C. -- Andrew Johnson, The Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, Tennessee -- Ulysses S. Grant, hometown; Grant's Tomb, New York -- Rutherford B. Hayes, The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Ohio -- James A. Garfield, The James A. Garfield National Historic Site, Ohio -- Chester A. Arthur, The Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York City -- Grover Cleveland, Grover Cleveland Park, New Jersey -- Benjamin Harrison, The Benjamin Harris Presidential Site, Indiana -- William McKinley, The William McKinley Library & Museum, Ohio -- Theodore Roosevelt, Sagamore Hill, New York -- William Howard Taft, The William Howard Taft National Historic Site, Ohio -- Woodrow Wilson,The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum, Ohio -- Warren Harding, The Harding Home, Ohio -- Calvin Coolidge, Plymouth Notch, Vermont -- Herbert Hoover, Camp Rapidan, Virginia -- Franklin D. Roosevelt, Warm Springs, Georgia -- Harry Truman, The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, Missouri -- Dwight D, Eisenhower, The Eisenhower Historical Site, Pennsylvania -- John F. Kennedy, Glen-Ora, Virginia -- Lyndon B. Johnson, The LBJ Ranch, Texas -- Richard M. Nixon, Key Biscayne, Florida -- Gerald R. Ford, Vail, Colorado -- James E. Carter, The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, Georgia -- Ronald Reagan, Rancho del Cielo, California -- George H.W. Bush, Kennebunkport, Maine -- William Clinton, The William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Arkansas -- George W. Bush, Prairie Chapel Ranch, Texas -- Barack Obama, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts -- Camp David, Maryland
Subjects:
Presidents -- Homes and haunts -- United States.
Presidents -- Travel -- United States.
Presidents -- United States -- Biography.
Dwellings -- United States -- History.
Vacation homes -- United States -- History.
Historic sites -- United States.
Presidents -- Homes and haunts -- United States -- Guidebooks.
Dwellings -- United States -- Guidebooks.
Historic sites -- United States -- Guidebooks.
United States -- History, Local.
Presidents -- Homes and haunts -- United States.
Presidents -- Travel -- United States.
Presidents -- United States -- Biography.
Dwellings -- United States -- History.
Vacation homes -- United States -- History.
Historic sites -- United States.
Presidents -- Homes and haunts -- United States -- Guidebooks.
Dwellings -- United States -- Guidebooks.
Historic sites -- United States -- Guidebooks.
United States -- History, Local.
ISBN:
9781451627145
Availability | |||
---|---|---|---|
Call Number | Location | Shelf Location | Status |
HISTORY North Am. US Presidency Han | Main (Downtown) | Third Level, Nonfiction | In |
HISTORY North Am. US Presidency Han | Main (Downtown) | Third Level, Nonfiction | In |
Includes bibliographical references and index.