Three miles east of the Hudson River is Val-Kill Cottage and grounds, built for Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1920s on part of the original Roosevelt estate. After the President’s death, Val-Kill became her home for 17 years and there she continued to pursue her humanitarian and political interests. Val-Kill came into the National Park system in 1977 and was opened to the public in 1984. The site contains 181 acres with historic buildings, gardens, a stream and a man-made pond. Originally it was connected to the FDR Home by farm roads through the woods between routes 9 and 9G in Hyde Park.