Accomplishments
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The Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Partnership supports projects that help visitors experience Val-Kill as a place of ideals and inspiration. To date, the Partnership has raised over $2.5 million in direct benefits to the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic site.
We take great pride in the many things we’ve been able to accomplish in partnership with the National Park Service over these many years with your help and encouragement. Some examples of our initiatives are listed below:
Award Winning Documentary
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Seen with every tour, the Partnership co-produced the "Close to Home" documentary, which won the United Nations Association Film Festival Award in 2013. The film provides visitors to Val-Kill with a deeper context and understanding of Eleanor's influence as one of the 20th century's most influential leaders.
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Visitor's Center
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We were proud to work with our National Park Service partner on producing Val-Kill's first Visitor's Center. Combined with a personal tour of the Cottage, these exhibits contextualize the visitor's understanding of Eleanor's deeply influential roles as: Journalist, Party Leader, Activist, Diplomat, Educator, and Grandmother.
Stone Cottage Exhibits
Eleanor Roosevelt and Val-Kill: Emergence of a Political Leader takes an in-depth study of the early years of Val-Kill when Eleanor Roosevelt joined a group of independent minded women dedicated to shaping politics and social policy. New work and new expectations ignited a stirring friendship with political activists Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman. Together at Val-Kill they created jobs, steered party politics, and advanced social reform.
Restoration of Eleanor's Sleeping Porch
Visitors enjoy the re-opening of many of Val-Kill's most central historic features through your support, places where the Roosevelts gathered with world leaders and family members alike. These include the swimming pool, tennis courts, and new dedicated space within Stone Cottage for forums. In addition, we have sponsored interpretive enhancements such as restoration of Eleanor's sleeping porch, permanent exhibits, a documentary film, and the Visitor's Center.
New Acquisitions
When Val-Kill was established as a national historic site 30 years ago, Mrs. Roosevelt’s estate had already been disbursed soon after her passing through two auctions. The Partnership has been a significant resource for returning her original belongings to the collections.
