58 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JANUARY 2021
DESTINATIONS
LI PRESIDENTIAL POINTS OF INTEREST
continued from page 57
TEDDY ROOSEVELT HOUSE,
SAGAMORE HILL
Theodore Roosevelt, the nation’s 26th
president, lived in Sagamore Hill from
1885 until his death in 1919. His Summer
White House is part of a preserved
83-acre historic site where visitors
can catch a glimpse of his time on the
North Shore.
Although the buildings are closed and
in-person tours are not permitted due
to Covid-19, visitors are welcome to
explore the grounds for free during
this time. There are several walking
paths and trails that pass by the home
and museum, or there are online tours
at nps.gov/sahi.
CULPER SPY RING TRAIL,
SETAUKET
Choose from a walking, bike, or kayak
tour of this historic site in Setauket,
where Gen. George Washington led
a spy ring during the Revolutionary
War. The biking tour is 15 miles, and
the walking tour is about three.
Three Village Historical Society
historians lead these tours, providing
lots of interesting tidbits about our
first president as they guide guests
through the trails where the British
and Patriots once roamed in the war
for our independence.
GRAVE OF RICHARD NIXON’S
DOG, WANTAGH
The dog of Richard Nixon, the 37th
president from 1969 to 1974, is buried
at Bideawee Pet Memorial Park in Wantagh.
Nixon’s cocker spaniel, Checkers,
died in 1964. Though Nixon never lived
on Long Island, he buried Checkers
there out of convenience. Now, you can
still visit Checkers at the pet cemetery.
The staff may have a little history on
hand about the grave.
GREY GARDENS, EAST
HAMPTON
Drive by 3 West End Rd. in East Hampton,
and you’ll see the Hamptons’ most
famous home, Grey Gardens. Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis, or Jackie O, the
widow of President John F. Kennedy,
visited the home frequently in her
youth.
The home belonged to Jackie O’s aunt
and cousin, both named Edith Beale,
who are famously known as “Big Edie”
and “Little Edie.” The 1975 documentary
Grey Gardens is about the two
eccentric personalities living on the
Long Island estate.
STATUE OF GEORGE H.W.
BUSH’S SERVICE DOG,
SMITHTOWN
In November 2020, a statue of President
George H.W. Bush’s service dog, Sully,
was installed at America’s VetDogs in
Smithtown. The life-size statue was
created by sculptor Susan Bahary and
is on display for all to see.
Staff at America’s VetDogs, a nonprofit
organization, trained Sully themselves
and paired him with Bush in 2018. Sully
offered Bush companionship and
assistance with daily tasks before the
41st president died in November 2018.
Sully now helps patients at Walter Reed
National Medical Center in Maryland.
WILLIAM FLOYD’S ESTATE,
MASTIC BEACH
William Floyd, the first New York
delegate to sign the U.S. Declaration of
Independence, was born in this Mastic
Beach house in 1734. Future presidents
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams also
signed it. Floyd was one of four New
Yorkers to sign the document and the
only one with a house that’s still standing
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Floyd’s great-great-granddaughter,
Cornelia Floyd Nichols, and her children
donated the house to the National
Park Service in 1976. Though the building
itself is only open for tours from
Memorial Day through Veterans Day,
it’s still worth a drive-by this January.
Sully H.W. Bush with the Sully
bronze statue.
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