Inscription from plaque, 1991
The full text of the plaque from the 1991 rededication follows, with description of the monument as a whole and individual objects and stones:ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL ROCKSWhile plaques for several individual stones in the monument are missing (8, 4, 18, 5, 1, 23, 16, 20, 17), text from remaining plaques follows:
The Book of Theodore Roosevelt's Life Written in Rocks
Chapter 1. Born Oct. 27, 1858. Brick from 28 E 20 NYC Where Roosevelt was born. Presented by Women's Roosevelt Memorial Assn.
Chapter 2. Regaining his health granite step from house atMoosehead Lake Moosehead Lake is a deep, coldwater lake located in Piscataquis County in Northwestern Maine. It is the second-largest lake in New England, and the largest mountain lake in the eastern United States. Situated in the mostly undeveloped Longfellow Mo ...,Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ..., where young Roosevelt regained his health.
Chapter 3. From Cambridge, Mass. Theodore Roosevelt's four years of college life. Presented byHarvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ....
Chapter 4. Baptismal in politics slate from Morton Hall, NYC. 21st District Republican Assembly Hall. Presented by family of Joe Murray.
Chapter 5. Assemblyman stone from Albany where Roosevelt entered government. Presented by City of Albany.
Chapter 6. Theodore Roosevelt in cowboy land. Boulder fromElkhorn Ranch The Elkhorn Ranch was established by Theodore Roosevelt on the banks of the Little Missouri River 35 miles north of Medora, North Dakota in the summer of 1884. Roosevelt hired Bill SewallEdward Wiggin in his ''History of Aroostook'' (1886) tell ...,North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So .... Presented February 1924 by Village of Medora.
Chapter 7. Civil Service commissioner of NYC stone from Roosevelt House. Presented by Police Captain Edward J. Bourke.
Chapter 8. Police Commissioner of NYC brick from Mulberry Street Station where Roosevelt made history. Presented by Mrs.Jacob Riis Jacob August Riis ( ; May 3, 1849 – May 26, 1914) was a Danish-American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer. He contributed significantly to the cause of urban reform in America at the turn of the twen ....
Chapter 9.Assistant Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. From 1861 to 1954, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was the second-highest civilian office in the Depar ...Boulder fromRock Creek Park Rock Creek Park is a large urban park that bisects the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. The park was created by an Act of Congress in 1890 and today is administered by the National Park Service. In addition to the park proper, the Rock Cr ...inWashington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...Presented by the city.
Chapter 10.Rough Riders The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and di ...to Victory boulder fromSan Juan Hill San Juan Hill is a series of hills to the east of Santiago, Cuba, running north to south. The area is known as the San Juan Heights or in Spanish ''Alturas de San Juan'' before Spanish–American War of 1898, and are now part of Lomas de San Ju .... Presented by J. Louis Shaefer.
Chapter 11. Governor of New York State stone from Camp Black inMontauk Point Montauk ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, on the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 4,318. The ...where he agreed to run for governor. Presented by the Town ofNorth Hempstead North Hempstead is one of three towns in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 237,639 at the 2020 census. History The area was first settled by Europeans around 1643 and became part of the town of Hemps ....
Chapter 12. Reconstruction of the barge canals boulder from theErie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...in Herkimer. Presented by NY State Engineers office.
Chapter 13. Home of Theodore Roosevelt boulder from Sagamore Hill. Presented by Mrs.Edith Roosevelt Edith Kermit Roosevelt ( née Carow; August 6, 1861 – September 30, 1948) was the second wife of President Theodore Roosevelt and the First Lady of the United States from 1901 to 1909. She also was the Second Lady of the United States in 1901 ....
Chapter 14.Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...stone from thePhiladelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...home where he was nominated Vice President. Presented by the city.
Chapter 15. From theAdirondacks The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular d ...where Theodore Roosevelt was when he becamePresident of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States .... Presented August 1921 by P. Thure Brorstrom.
Chapter 16. Oath of office 1901 stone from Wilcox House, Buffalo, where he took the oath of office. Presented by James W. Dowsey.
Chapter 17. FromRoosevelt Dam Theodore Roosevelt Dam is a dam on the Salt River located northeast of Phoenix, Arizona. The dam is high and forms Theodore Roosevelt Lake as it impounds the Salt River. Originally built between 1905 and 1911, the dam was renovated and expande ...,Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou .... President Roosevelt preservation of the natural resources of the nation. Presented by City of Roosevelt, Arizona.
Chapter 18. The big coal strike piece of coal from thePennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...anthracite mines where he conquered the strike. Presented by Gov.Gifford Pinchot Gifford Pinchot (August 11, 1865October 4, 1946) was an American forester and politician. He served as the fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, as the first head of the United States Forest Service, and as the 28th governor of Pennsy ....
Chapter 19. Greatest acquirement boulder fromCulebra Cut The Culebra Cut, formerly called Gaillard Cut, is an artificial valley that cuts through the Continental Divide in Panama. The cut forms part of the Panama Canal, linking Gatun Lake, and thereby the Atlantic Ocean, to the Gulf of Panama and henc ...Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui .... Presented by Mrs. Lillius Grace.
Chapter 20.Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...boulder fromPortsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ..., N.H., where he settled the war. Presented by city.
Chapter 21. A native rock Theodore Roosevelt in his big stick and square deal. Presented August 1923 by city.
Chapter 22. Battle fleet round world 7 inch shell fromUS Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ..., for his biggest peace move. Presented by M. B. Brorstrom.
Chapter 23. Author and man bronze book representing the life of Theodore Roosevelt as author of 31 books. Presented by Mrs. Lillian Tatters Bussenius.
Chapter 24. Died January 6th 1919. 60 years, 2 months and 9 days.
Dedicated inGreat Neck Great Neck is a region on Long Island, New York, that covers a peninsula on the North Shore and includes nine villages, among them Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kings Point, and Russell Gardens, and a number of unincor ...June 10, 1922
Rededicated when moved to Oyster Bay Oct. 25, 1947
Rededicated with this plaque June 23, 1991
Chapter 2. Step from house in Maine where young Roosevelt regained his health. Presented Feb. 1923 by W.W. Sewall.
Chapter 7. From New York City Theodore Roosevelt as Civil Service Commissioner. Presented Aug. 1923 by Capt. Edward J. Bourke.
Chapter 11. From Montauk Point where col. Roosevelt agreed to run as Governor of New York State. Presented March 1923 by Town of North Hempstead.
Chapter 21. A native rock. Theodore Roosevelt in his big stick and square deal. Presented Aug. 1923 by County of Nassau.
Chapter 22. From United States Navy, President Roosevelt's great peace move. Battle fleet round the world. Presented in 1921 by M.B. Brorstrom
Theodore Roosevelt Monument Assemblage Map
Map with numbers showing location of stones by chapter:History and background
At the heart of the monument is the first and largest of the boulders, dedicated onRoosevelt Memorial Oak to the Sacred Memory of THEODORE ROOSEVELT the Great American PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES 1901-1908 Planted Palm Sunday 1919 A.D. by Paul BrorstromPaul Brorstrom assembled a collection of boulders in his Kings Park estate to write the life of President Roosevelt in rocks. Three boulders formed the nucleus for the monument dedicated at his Great Neck estate on June 10, 1922. One boulder was taken from Sagamore Hill recognizing Roosevelt's ties to Oyster Bay where his home was located. The second boulder was taken from
Restoration and maintenance needs
Information on the monument was compiled and included in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database in June 1994. Surveyors described the condition of the memorial as "treatment urgent.""Theodore Roosevelt Monument Assemblage, (sculpture), Art Inventories Catalog, http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!342064!0#focus, accessed September 2008 Since that time no known work has been done to stabilize the monument. Several plaques describing the source of artifacts and stones have been removed and presumably stolen. The ground the memorial is situated upon tends to get moist very easily and standing water is frequently visible. Several of the stones have visible cracks, some of which are growing, and that might ultimately cause the stones to split. Attempts to repair other stones have left caulk and other filling materials that are out-of-character with the color and texture of the stone on which they are applied.References
{{Theodore Roosevelt, state=expanded Monuments and memorials in New York (state) Oyster Bay (town), New York 1919 establishments in New York (state)