No house better reflects the personality and interests of its owner than Theodore Roosevelt's cherished Sagamore Hill. After Roosevelt returned to Oyster Bay following the death of both his beloved wife and mother, he and his second wife, Edith, made the house a home for their growing and rambunctious family. What began as the perfect getaway from unhealthy New York City summers in his grandfather's day became the Summer White House during Roosevelt's presidency. He hosted political guests like Henry Cabot Lodge and cultural luminaries like novelist Edith Wharton. Roosevelt spent his final years happily at Sagamore Hill, and after his death in 1919, the Theodore Roosevelt Association and the National Park Service preserved the house. With previously unpublished photographs and a detailed guide to the house and grounds, historian Bill Bleyer recounts bygone days at Roosevelt's haven.

Sagamore Hill: Theodore Roosevelt's Summer White House (Landmarks)

Arts & Photography

Bleyer, Bill

Photography & Video

The History Press

Long Island and the Sea: A Maritime History

For more than five centuries, the waterways surrounding Long Island have profoundly shaped its history. Familiar subjects of lighthouses, shipwrecks and whaling are found alongside oft-forgotten history such as Pan-American flying boats landing in Manhasset Bay in the early days of transatlantic flight. From the British blockade and skirmishes during the American Revolution to the sinking of merchant vessels by Germany in World War II, the sea brought wars to these shores. Gold Coast millionaires commuted in high-speed yachts to Manhattan offices as the island's wealth grew. Historian Bill Bleyer reveals Long Island's nautical bonds from the Native Americans to current efforts to preserve the region's maritime heritage.

History

Americas

In 1778, two years after the British forced the Continental Army out of New York City, George Washington and his subordinates organized a secret spy network to gather intelligence in Manhattan and Long Island. Known today as the "Culper Spy Ring," Patriots like Abraham Woodhull and Robert Townsend risked their lives to report on British military operations in the region. Vital reports clandestinely traveled from New York City across the East River to Setauket and were rowed on whaleboats across the Long Island Sound to the Connecticut shore. Using ciphers, codes and invisible ink, the spy ring exposed British plans to attack French forces at Newport and a plot to counterfeit American currency. Author Bill Bleyer corrects the record, examines the impact of George Washington's Long Island spy ring and identifies Revolutionary War sites that remain today.

George Washington’s Long Island Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide (History & Guide)

Originally commissioned by Cornelius Vanderbilt as he built his maritime empire in New York, the Steamboat Lexington eventually became the most prestigious steamship on the heavily trafficked Long Island Sound... But in 1840 a fire broke out on the ship, igniting poorly placed bales of cotton which destroyed the ship in minutes. Emergency rafts sank and rescue boats were unable to reach the ship in time. Only four among the over one hundred and forty on board survived by clinging to bales of cotton. The incident would be the worst maritime disaster in Long Island history. Author Bill Bleyer presents the harrowing story of a ship's journey from glory to tragedy.

The Sinking of the Steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound (Disaster)

No house better reflects the personality and interests of its owner than Theodore Roosevelt s cherished Sagamore Hill. After Roosevelt returned to Oyster Bay following the death of both his beloved wife and mother, he and his second wife, Edith, made the house a home for their growing and rambunctious family. What began as the perfect getaway from unhealthy New York City summers in his grandfather s day became the Summer White House during Roosevelt s presidency. He hosted political guests like Henry Cabot Lodge and cultural luminaries like novelist Edith Wharton. Roosevelt spent his final years happily at Sagamore Hill, and after his death in 1919, the Theodore Roosevelt Association and the National Park Service preserved the house. With previously unpublished photographs and a detailed guide to the house and grounds, historian Bill Bleyer recounts bygone days at Roosevelt s haven."

Sagamore Hill: Theodore Roosevelt's Summer White House

History Press Library Editions

Although no battles were fought on Long Island, the Civil War deeply affected all of its residents. More than three thousand men--white and black--from current-day Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties answered the call to preserve the Union. While Confederate ships lurked within eight miles of Montauk Point, camps in Mineola and Willets Point trained regiments. Local women raised thousands of dollars for Union hospitals, and Long Island companies manufactured uniforms, drums and medicines for the army. At the same time, a little-remembered draft riot occurred in Jamaica in 1863. Local authors Harrison Hunt and Bill Bleyer explore this fascinating story, from the 1860 presidential campaign that polarized the region to the wartime experiences of Long Islanders on the battlefield and at home.

Long Island and the Civil War: Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties During the War Between the States

Hunt, Harrison

The first Fire Island Lighthouse was constructed in 1826 after numerous shipwrecks along the barrier island. A replacement tower built in 1858 incorporated innovations in lighthouse design such as the Fresnel lens. Vessels anchored offshore, known as lightships, augmented the lighthouse for many years. The Coast Guard shut down the site in 1973. Through the efforts of the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society and the National Park Service, the beautiful structure was meticulously restored and the tower relit in 1986. Along with a selection of wonderful color photographs depicting the grandeur of the lighthouse, author Bill Bleyer charts the history of Long Island's cherished Fire Island Lighthouse.

Fire Island Lighthouse: Long Island's Welcoming Beacon

In 1778, two years after the British forced the Continental Army out of New York City, George Washington and his subordinates organized a secret spy network to gather intelligence in Manhattan and Long Island. Known today as the Culper Spy Ring, Patriots like Abraham Woodhull and Robert Townsend risked their lives to report on British military operations in the region. Vital reports clandestinely traveled from New York City across the East River to Setauket and were rowed on whaleboats across the Long Island Sound to the Connecticut shore. Using ciphers, codes and invisible ink, the spy ring exposed British plans to attack French forces at Newport and a plot to counterfeit American currency. Author Bill Bleyer corrects the record, examines the impact of George Washington's Long Island spy ring and identifies Revolutionary War sites that remain today.

George Washington's Long Island Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide (History & Guide)

History PR

Fire Island Lighthouse: Long Island's Welcoming Beacon (Landmarks)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bleyer, Bill. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Bleyer, Bill

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bleyer, Bill. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Sagamore Hill: Theodore Roosevelt's Summer White House (Landmarks)

Long Island and the Sea: A Maritime History

George Washington’s Long Island Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide (History & Guide)

The Sinking of the Steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound (Disaster)

Sagamore Hill: Theodore Roosevelt's Summer White House

Long Island and the Civil War: Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties During the War Between the States

Fire Island Lighthouse: Long Island's Welcoming Beacon

Long Island and the Sea: A Maritime History

George Washington's Long Island Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide (History & Guide)

Fire Island Lighthouse: Long Island's Welcoming Beacon (Landmarks)