HAUPPAUGE, NY – Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy today lent his support to the establishment of a Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Museum and Research Center on Long Island.

Levy noted that the 26th President's legacy "extends all the way to the easternmost point of Long Island," when he and his fellow Rough Riders were quarantined in Montauk after the Spanish-American War.

In a letter to the Theodore Roosevelt Association, Levy also stated, "Theodore Roosevelt's quest to preserve open space and maintain pristine habitats is embodied in all of our environmental efforts here in Suffolk County."

    The County Executive said that a 100,000-sq.-ft. Presidential Museum would enhance tourism and educational opportunities for the region, and said Suffolk would be willing to consider an East End site for the museum if an Oyster Bay location is not found. His support for the Nassau County site is another indication of Levy's regional approach to tourism and economic development

Suffolk County, he noted, is home to the 1,074-acre Theodore Roosevelt County Park in Montauk, which includes a Spanish-American War exhibit at the former Camp Wikoff and was home to the nation's earliest cattle ranching operation. Suffolk is also home to Meadow Croft, the Bayport historic estate which was once home to John E. Roosevelt, Theodore's cousin.

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