A Word from the Publishers

More than one political commentator this presidential season has compared the significance of the upcoming election to that of 1932. So it seems particularly appropriate that our cover article this issue features Curtis Roosevelt, the grandson of Franklin and Eleanor. Whichever new family moves into the White House next January may well find some food for thought in his forthcoming memoir about growing up in the shadow of the most powerful political figures of the 20th century.

Although Mr. Roosevelt spent a lot of his childhood days in the White House, the house that mattered most was the Big House in Hyde Park, "the magnetic north of our entire family" that he still considers his real home. When he climbs to the third floor nursery, he told our interviewer Jane Smith, he finds it as it ever was. Elsewhere in Hyde Park, though, time has marched on. He feels he may be one of the few people alive who remembers what it was like before the Second World War, when it was possible for him to ride horseback up and down the paths that connected the homes of the Hudson River's wealthy and privileged. All that changed dramatically when the Archibald Rogers Estate began selling off land because the middle class needed housing.

"There are very few of the old houses in Hyde Park left," he told Jane. "I can remember my horror, coming back—it must have been about 1950—to discover here were four large gasoline stations, one on each corner in this small, sleepy town that I'd known as a child." Then he laughed: "The post office was the newest building then, and now it's one of the oldest."

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Last fall was our tenth year in print. It was a time of reflection and of looking forward. We set some goals and have been steadily working toward meeting them. One goal was to reevaluate our website. Being somewhat obsessed with checking our statistics, we are pleased to note that more and more visitors have been clicking on the About Town website. About a year and a half ago there was a surge of interest and the number of individuals visiting more than doubled. The plan for our site is to redesign it, make it more searchable and offer new and affordable advertising options. Although this is still a work in progress, keep an eye out and we'll keep you updated.

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Last May AboutTown lost one of its most vocal early supporters with the death of Sylvia Erber. She was a true inspiration to both of us, especially in our first few months of starting up.

—Paul & Gail

Guest Artist
In honor of October 31, Dirk Zimmer offers a few sample adaptations of his well-known Anti-Superstition Hex Signs (including one that protects against rising fuel costs!) According to Dirk, these triangular wooden plaques, reminiscent of Pennsylvania Dutch folk art, "fully guarantee the protection of both house and/or office and owner from any form of unwanted manifestations of superstition." Those who wish to protect themselves can order custom-made hex signs at drkzimmer@aol.com.