Theodore Roosevelt’s beloved silver pocket watch has returned to his Sagamore Hill home after 37 years of theft.
The Old Orchard Museum at Sagamore Hill will display the watch, given to the 26th U.S. president by his sister Corinne and brother-in-law Douglas Robinson in 1898, for three months, according to a news release on the National Park Service (NPS) website. It will be free for the public to view as of Thursday, June 27.
According to an FBI release, an auctioneer in Florida discovered who owned the watch after receiving instructions to auction it off in 2023. Before that, the watch had been missing for about 40 years.
On July 21, 1987, the NPS lent the relic, which read “THEODORE ROOSEVELT FROM D.R. AND C.R.R.” to Buffalo, New York’s Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site. Roosevelt passed away at the age of sixty in 1919, and Sagamore Hill National Historic Site became its owner.
Roosevelt family members joined NPS Director Chuck Sams on Thursday at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site for a special celebration of the watch’s return. With some help from the FBI, the NPS was able to retrieve the object.
According to the news release, Sams stated, “It is an honor to have a role in preserving American history for current and future generations to learn from.”
“In the spirit of preservation, the NPS and its partners have demonstrated their dedication and hard work by recovering and returning this remarkable piece of presidential history, a cherished personal item of President Theodore Roosevelt, to its rightful home here at Sagamore Hill,” he continued.
The FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division Assistant Director Michael Nordwall stated, “Today, we are honored to return this extraordinary piece of Americana to its rightful owner,” according to the announcement.
“The FBI is dedicated to working with our partners to recover and preserve significant pieces of our cultural heritage that help bring history to life, even though it has been nearly four decades since these events occurred,” Nordwall stated.
According to the NPS, the watch accompanied the then-future president Roosevelt “on some of his most famous adventures, including charging up San Juan Hill in Cuba, hunting wild game in Africa, and exploring the Amazon in South America.” Roosevelt served as president from 1901 until 1909.
Superintendent Jonathan Parker of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site stated of the memento, “The stories this watch could tell over the last 126 years include colorful and profound moments in American history.”
In addition to being actual participants in historical events, historic artifacts—like this fabled watch—are also cherished family heirlooms belonging to a well-known American president. This is why historical events are so powerful. We’re thrilled to bring President Roosevelt’s watch back into the spotlight and put it on display for the public to see after nearly 40 years,” Parker said.