Little White House
Georgia > West Central Georgia > Meriwether County > Warm Springs
By SHERRI SMITH BROWN
The Little White House in Warm Springs was the Georgia home of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and is a good place for introducing your child to United States history.
In 1932 while he was still governor of New York, Franklin Delano Roosevelt built a house in Warm Springs, Georgia, so that he could stay there when he came to receive treatment for polio at the Warm Springs Rehabilitation Center. After he was inaugurated as President in 1933, the house became known as The Little White House.
The Little White House is pleasant, peaceful and has a real sense of history. Roosevelt spent a lot of time in Warm Springs during his presidency, which spanned an era from The Great Depression until nearly the end of World War II. You can imagine him pondering the difficulties of both in this serene atmosphere. It is known that he developed many New Deal programs, such as the Rural Electrification Administration, based on his experiences in the small town and Meriwether County.
The house itself is very small and friendly and on a scale to which children can relate. While posing for a portrait, President Roosevelt suffered a stroke and died in the little house on April 12, 1945. Be sure to walk through the FDR Memorial Museum, where the “unfinished portrait” is displayed, and along the Walk of Flags and Stones.
After a trip to the Little White House, drive just a couple miles away to F. D. Roosevelt State Park where you can visit Dowdell’s Knob, FDR’s favorite picnic spot. It has a spectacular view of Pine Mountain Valley, and there is a historical marker and a statue of FDR sitting enjoying the vistas.
Links:
- Read more about the Little White House Historic Site
- Find more Warm Springs travel and recreation resources
Tags: dowdell's knob, f.d. roosevelt state park, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Little White House, meriwether county, Pine Mountain, Warm Springs