Historic Warm Springs, Ga., honors its presidential connections to FDR

Franklin D. Roosevelt is one of America’s most admired and influential presidents, but a key part of his life story is often overlooked: the lifelong disability he suffered as a result of contracting polio at the age of 39. For more than two decades he found relief in the soothing mineral waters of a resort in Warm Springs, Georgia, a place that shaped his life and political career in significant ways.

You can learn more about this fascinating chapter in Roosevelt’s life at the Little White House, which served as his home when he was in Warm Springs. Now managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, this National Historic Landmark explores how Warm Springs helped shape a president and a nation.

Before seeing the house itself, visitors tour a museum full of artifacts and memorabilia relating to Roosevelt’s time in the area. Its lobby has a display of a set of leg braces and a wheelchair used by the president, a poignant reminder of the many challenges he faced after polio left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Before his illness, Roosevelt had led a seemingly charmed life. Wealthy, handsome and charismatic, he was widely seen as destined for national political office, but that path seemed closed to him after he was left disabled. For three years he tried one treatment after another with little success, until on the recommendation of a friend he visited the mineral waters in the town of Warm Springs south of Atlanta.

The museum describes the transformative effects of Roosevelt’s experiences at the resort. While nothing could cure his paralysis, the warm waters eased his pain, helped him rebuild his strength through swimming, and improved his mobility. Buoyed by water, he was able to once again stand upright of his own accord. Some of the museum’s most moving displays are photos of Roosevelt grinning broadly as he swam and played in the pool.

Exhibits here place Roosevelt’s challenges within a broader story. Before the development of a vaccine in 1954, hundreds of thousands of Americans contracted polio, many of them children. An iron lung, which was used to help patients breathe, and a wall of crutches and canes illustrate the suffering and disabilities that many had to endure.

With the exception of 1942, Roosevelt visited Warm Springs every year for the rest of his life, often for weeks at a time. In 1926 he bought the resort and the next year formed the nonprofit Warm Springs Foundation to oversee it. The foundation became the first, and for many years the only, hospital devoted to the treatment of polio victims. Thousands of people flocked to the springs and to the rehabilitation hospital, which pioneered many treatments for them.

One of the museum’s most significant artifacts is a 1938 Ford convertible that was customized so that Roosevelt could drive it with hand controls. He used the car to explore the back roads of the region, often stopping to talk with the locals. These experiences gave him firsthand insights into the plight of the poor during the Great Depression and influenced his founding of New Deal programs that included the Rural Electrification Administration.

After touring the museum, you can see the Little White House itself. Set amid pine woods, the six-room cottage was built by Roosevelt so he would have a place to stay on his visits. Completed just before his inauguration in 1933, it became a frequent retreat during his 12 years as president. With Secret Service personnel housed in a nearby guesthouse, Roosevelt conducted presidential business here and dealt with the myriad problems created by the Great Depression and World War II.

Guides lead visitors through the house, which is surprisingly humble for a man of Roosevelt’s wealth. Furnished as it was in the president’s day, it includes a deck overlooking a wooded ravine where he enjoyed sitting and the Victrola on which he recorded his Fireside Chats, as well as a collar that belonged to his beloved dog Fala. At the end of the tour, guides tell the story of Roosevelt’s last day here on April 12, 1945. In poor health because of both his disability and the pressures of his office, he suffered a stroke while sitting in the living room while an artist made sketches for a new presidential portrait. He died a few hours later in his bedroom.

After touring the home, visitors return to the museum to see it's final exhibits, which include the unfinished portrait by artist Elizabeth Shoumatoff and displays telling of the worldwide mourning after Roosevelt’s death. After being in the intimacy of his home, it’s easy to feel a personal connection to this remarkable man.

The museum also tells what happened to the Warm Springs Foundation founded by Roosevelt to help other polio sufferers. In 1938 it became the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which sponsored the March of Dimes campaign that helped fund the development of a polio vaccine. Roosevelt was actively involved in the foundation throughout his life. After his death, the U.S. Congress changed the design of the dime to bear his image, a fitting tribute to a man who had worked so hard to serve his fellow citizens.

After touring the Little White House and museum, visitors can explore F.D. Roosevelt State Park, which is Georgia’s largest state park. Part of it's infrastructure was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of Roosevelt’s signature initiatives. Be sure to visit Dowdell’s Knob overlooking Pine Mountain Valley, where a bronze statue marks the spot where Roosevelt loved to come for picnics.

While the pools that once attracted thousands of visitors are now closed, you can visit a Historic Pools exhibit at their original location a mile from the Little White House. Then, spend some time exploring Warm Springs, whose downtown is lined with historic brick buildings housing restaurants and antique, gift, and home decor stores.

With just 500 residents, the town is not that different from when Roosevelt made frequent pilgrimages here. Though those who knew him personally are gone, residents here still treasure their connection to the president who found solace and healing in their town.