The House That Exists in Two Countries at Once

When we first start watching this video, we might assume that this is a story about a house that straddles an international border, namely that of Canada and the US. Some houses do have a border running through them, and they all have interesting stories behind how they got that way. But this is not about a border line. Campobello Island is clearly in New Brunswick, Canada. But this house is historically significant, built for James and Sara Roosevelt in 1897. They took their only child, Franklin, to Campobello to spend their summers in recreation. FDR was given the huge summer "cabin" as a wedding gift when he married Eleanor in 1908, but after 1921 he could no longer stay there because he was left paralyzed after a bout with polio. In other words, this home is not wheelchair accessible.

The video explains how the house became the property of both the US and Canada, but along the way we get to look inside at the lovely vintage furnishings and accoutrements from the early 20th century, which have been remarkably preserved.



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