BUFFALO, N.Y. — A piece of history stolen almost four decades ago from the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site in Buffalo has been returned to its rightful home, thanks to the help of some local experts.
This week the 26th President's silver pocket watch was placed back on display at the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site on Long Island after it went missing in July 1987.
The watch had been on a six-year loan to the Buffalo Inaugural Site when it was taken.
According to the National Park Service, the timepiece had been carried by Roosevelt during several landmark moments in his life including when he charged up San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.
The pocket watch was gifted to Roosevelt in 1898 by his sister and brother-in-law before he left for the war as documented in a letter on display at Sagamore:
“Darling Corinne, You could not have given me a more useful present than the watch; it was exactly what I wished…Thank old Douglas for the watch – and for his many, many kindnesses.”
In a Facebook post, the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site in Buffalo thanked its staff and volunteers who reportedly helped authenticate the watch, which had been missing for 37 years.
The FBI Art Crime Team that worked on the case stated in a news release that the watch was stolen by an unknown person and passed through several hands before showing up at an auction house in Florida last year.
After being contacted by the owner of the auction house, both the National Park Service and FBI confirmed it was the same watch stolen in Buffalo.
The watch was officially returned to the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site on June 27, 2024, and placed back on display.
Roosevelt lived at Sagamore from 1885 until his death in 1919. According to the National Park Service when he was in office, the 83-acre site was often referred to as his "Summer White House."
“The stories this watch could tell over the last 126 years include colorful and profound moments in American history,” said Jonathan Parker the Superintendent of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.
In a news release, the National Park Service added: “Almost 40 years have passed since the public had last seen President Roosevelt’s watch and we’re excited to place this watch back into the light on public display."