Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

established Val-Kill Industries in 1927 with

Nancy Cook Nancy may refer to: Places France * Nancy, France, a city in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle and formerly the capital of the duchy of Lorraine ** Arrondissement of Nancy, surrounding and including the city of Nancy ...

, Marion Dickerman, and

Caroline O'Day Caroline Love Goodwin O'Day (June 22, 1869 – January 4, 1943) was an American politician who served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1935 to 1943. She was the third woman, and first woman Democrat, elected to Congress from ...

, three friends she met through her activities in the Women's Division of the New York State Democratic Party. Val-Kill was located on the banks of a stream that flowed through the Roosevelt family estate in Hyde Park, New York. Eleanor and her business partners financed the construction of a small factory to provide supplemental income for local farming families who would make furniture, pewter, and homespun cloth using traditional craft methods. Capitalizing on the popularity of the

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...

, most Val-Kill products were modelled on eighteenth-century forms. Nancy Cook, a trained artisan and teacher, designed most of the furniture and managed the factory which employed anywhere from three to eight men during its decade-long operation. Eleanor promoted Val-Kill through interviews and public appearances. Dickerman and O'Day were financial investors, but not actively involved in the business. The principal craftsmen at Val-Kill were immigrants, among them Frank Landolfa, Otto Berge, Arnold Berge, and Nelly Johannesen and her son, Karl. Val-Kill Industries never became the subsistence program that Eleanor and her friends imagined, but it did pave the way for larger New Deal initiatives during

FDR Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

's presidential administration. Nancy's failing health and pressures from the Great Depression compelled the women to dissolve the partnership in 1938, at which time Eleanor Roosevelt converted the shop buildings into a cottage that eventually became her permanent residence after FDR died in 1945. Otto Berge acquired the contents of the factory and the use of the Val-Kill name to continue making colonial-style furniture until he retired in 1975. Today, the site of Val-Kill Industries is preserved by the National Park Service as

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site was established by the U.S. Congress to commemorate the life and accomplishments of Eleanor Roosevelt. Once part of the larger Roosevelt family estate in Hyde Park, New York, today the property includes th ...

References

*Kenneth Davis, ''Invincible Summer: The Recollections of Marion Dickerman.'' *Frank Futral, "Val-Kill Industries: A History." ''The Hudson River Valley Review'' 26:1 (Autumn 2009) *Louis Torres, ''Historic Resource Study, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site.'' *Emily Wright, ''Eleanor Roosevelt and Val-Kill Industries'' (M.A. Thesis, Cooperstown)

External links

Val-Kill Industries: A HistoryNational Park ServiceEleanor Roosevelt: American Visionary
{{Eleanor Roosevelt Colonial Revival Movement 1927 establishments in New York (state) Hyde Park, New York Eleanor Roosevelt