BASEBALL AND PRESIDENTS

(November 13, 2015) I spent the night at the Holiday Inn- Cooperstown, which is a wonderful accommodation. The staff is first rate and the rooms are spacious and clean.  After a great nights rest I made the short journey back to  Cooperstown. Yesterday was spent entirely at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and before departing the area I wanted to walk around and enjoy the Village of Cooperstown.

James Fenimore Cooper

It was another cold and rainy morning as I once again parked in the lot at Doubleday Field. A steady drizzle accompanied me as I walked up Main Street toward the Hall of Fame.  Located just behind the Hall of Fame is Cooper Park, named after James Fenimore Cooper who is buried nearby in the cemetery at Christ Episcopal Church.

In the park is a large statue of James Fenimore Cooper who was one of the most popular writes of the 19th Century.  He lived most of his life in Cooperstown and is best known for the book "The Last of the Mohicans."  James Fenimore Cooper died on September 15, 1851, his 62nd birthday and is buried with the other members of the Cooper Family in the Christ Episcopal Church Cemetery.

After walking around Cooper Park and visiting the grave of James Fenimore Cooper, I stopped by the Monument Garden located just outside of the Hall of Fame.  Here just outside the Hall of Fame are statues of Roy Campanella, Satchel Paige and a couple of other great stars of the game.

The steady drizzle picked up into more of a light rain and cut my visit short. So after visiting a few of the shops along main street I decided to head out and make my way over to Albany.

It took about an hour and a half for me to make my way through rural upstate New York. As I made my way along U. S. Route 20, the light rain turned into snow and sleet and the thermometer on Hannah Honda showed it was 28 degrees as I stopped in the community of Central Bridge to get gas.

President Chester A. Arthur

By the time I reached the Albany area the snow and sleet had turned back to a steady drizzle.  I traveled a few miles north of Albany and into the very large Albany Rural Cemetery. I wanted to stop here to visit the grave site of President Chester A. Arthur.

President Arthur assumed the Presidency following the assassination of President James Garfield.  While he was born in Vermont, President Arthur lived most of his life in New York. He died on November 18, 1886 and is buried in the Albany Rural Cemetery.

The Albany Rural Cemetery is a very large cemetery, but there are signs through out the cemetery directing visitors to President Arthur's grave monument. A year after his death, a large monument was placed at Presidents Arthur's grave.  The monument was designed by Ephraim Keyser which consists of a giant bronze angel placing a palm leaf on a granite sarcophagus. It is one of the most unique grave monuments I have seen.

The stop at Albany Rural Cemetery was a quick one and after a quick lunch it was off to the small village of Kinderhook and a visit to the Martin Van Buren Historical site.

Just south of the Village of Kinderhook on the old Albany Post Road is Lindenwald. Martin Van Buren purchased this estate in 1839 during his presidency. It became his primary home during his retirement.

Lindenwald - Home of Martin Van Buren

One of the disadvantages of travel late in the year is that some sites are open seasonally as was the case with Lindenwald.  Even though I wasn't able to tour the house, I was able to spend about an hour walking around the grounds. The grounds surrounding the mansion is marked with historical plaque detailing the life of our 8th President.

The 36-room mansion stands on part of the 125-acre estate owned by Martin Van Buren. It faces the Albany Post Road which was once the main route between Albany and New York City.

Grave of Martin Van Buren

After about an hour of walking the grounds at Lindenwald I made my way back through the Village of Kinderhook to the Dutch Reform Cemetery where President Van Buren is buried. There is very little parking at the cemetery so I ended up parking on the shoulder of the road near the historical marker which stands in front of the cemetery.

The Presidents grave sits at the center of the cemetery and is easy to find. I spend a few minutes snapping a few photos and then mad my way back through Kinderhook.

It was late afternoon by the time I found my way back to U. S, Route 9 and headed south toward Fishkill where I would spend the next couple of day.

I passed through Hyde Park which is the home to President Franklin Roosevelt.  It was about 4 p.m. when I arrived at President Roosevelt's Home and missed the last tour of the day but I was allowed to walk the ground. I will return Sunday for the full tour.

About an hour after leaving Hyde Park I arrived at the Quality Inn in Fishkill. This will be my home for the next couple of day while I spend some time in Westchester County.

After a quick supper at the 84-Diner right next door I brought this day to an end.