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Joe Kennedy bought the now-famous mansion after renting it for a few years in 1926. Later, John and Bobby bought their own houses next door. It was a peaceful place with stunning views of Nantucket Sound, roses growing along white picket fences and a salty breeze blowing in off the water each night. It has long served as a refuge for the family, a place to escape from the insatiable public interest. It's not surprising that Ted Kennedy chose to die here. It was his escape. His wife, Vicki, told Vice President Joe Biden this morning that while Kennedy "was ready to go, we weren't ready to let him go." I'm not sure that the nation is ready either.
There is some good news. You may not have to imagine what life was like at Camelot any longer. The Boston Globe is reporting that Ted Kennedy, who lost his battle to brain cancer last night, wanted the compound to become a national treasure, similar to Teddy Roosevelt's Sagamore Hill. Until then, we wanted to remind you of why Hyannis Port was so special.
See our photo gallery to see the Kennedy compound over the years.
Kennedy Compound
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., stands with his wife Victoria Reggie Kennedy in front of houses inside the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Mass., in this Sept. 13, 1992 photo.
Sen. Kennedy died of brain cancer at the age of 77 on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009.
From left to right: Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and his parents Rose and Joseph Kennedy at their home in Hyannis Port, Mass. in June 1968.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, in dark glasses, talks on the phone on the dock at the Kennedy compound prior to boarding the Marlin for a family cruise in July 1969. Kennedy was in seclusion at his Squaw Island home trying to decide whether to resign from the Senate after he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident on Chappaquiddick Island in which a young woman was killed.
President John F. Kennedy rides in a golf cart cart piloted by his father Joseph P. Kennedy as other members of the family follow behind at the Kennedy home at Hyannis Port, Mass., on July 1, 1961. The Kennedys spent the afternoon at sea on the senior Kennedy's yacht.
Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Rose Kennedy, the mother of John, Bobby and Ted Kennedy, pose along with their families outside her house after an afternoon birthday party for her in Hyannis Port, Mass., in July 1990. The family celebrated her 100th birthday.
John F. Kennedy holds his daughter Caroline while posing beside his wife Jacqueline Kennedy at Hyannis Port, Mass., in November 1960.
Caroline Kennedy gets a piggy-back ride from her father, Sen. John F. Kennedy, in Hyannis Port, Mass., on Nov. 9, 1960. Kennedy narrowly defeated Vice President Richard Nixon to win the presidency on Nov. 8.
President John F. Kennedy walks with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara towards a pier to board the Kennedy family cruiser for a boat outing on July 8, 1961 at Hyannis Port, Mass. The home of Joseph P. Kennedy, the president's father, is seen behind them.
President John F. Kennedy holds a conference with his advisers at the home of his father in Hyannis Port, Mass., on Nov. 24, 1961.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver addresses a group of women at a tea on behalf of her husband, Democratic presidential contender R. Sargent Shriver, in the family home in the Kennedy compound in February 1976. Some 420 women paid $10 each to meet Mrs. Shriver.
Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)
Thanks for posting the great photos. That glimpse of Eunice Shriver holding a ladies' tea was pretty neat.
ReplyThanks for the awesome pictures of a great American home and family. In spite of his human weakness, Teddy was the greatest US Senator ever ... selfless and always looking out for the underdog and less privileged. Glad to know that Teddy decided to make the Hyannis Port Home/Compound a National Treasure.
ReplyIN 1960 WHEN I WAS JUST 13, I LANDED A BABYSITTING JOB IN HYANNIS FOR ONE OF OUR CHURCH MEMBERS. LITTLE DID I KNOW I WAS ABOUT TO MEET HISTORY! ANOTHER BABYSITTER IN THE HOUSE IN FRONT OF MINE WAS THERE FOR HER 3RD SEASON. SHE KNEW THE GUARDS AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE ROAD, TO THE KENNEDY COMPOUND.
ReplyONE EVENING AFTER JOHN KENNEDY LANDED BY HELECOPTER IN HIS FATHERS YARD AND GREETED BY BOTH BOB AND TED, (WATCHING AS WE PEEKED THROUGH THE THICK TALL HEDGES) THE GUARD ON DUTY LET US GO A BIT DOWN THE ROAD LEADING TO THE COMPOUND. PRESIDENT KENNEDY CAME RIDING BY (WITH THE TOP DOWN MIND YOU)
WITH JACKIE, CAROLINE AND JON JON . HE GAVE US A BIG SMILE AND A BIG HELLO AND STOPED SO WE COULD TAKE PICTURES. SADELY WHEN I GOT THEM DEVELOPED THE DEVELOPERS "SAID" THEY LOST THE FILM!
THRILLING TO KNOW I WAS SO CLOSE TO HISTORY I COULD HAVE TOUCHED IT!
I guess this means that Teddy didn't leave the place to me....am I mentioned at all in his will?
ReplyI HOPE SOME DAY I COULD VISIT THIS PLACE, DO YOU THINK THAT COULD EVER HAPPEN, MY HUSBAND FROM A FAMILY OF NINE, 6 BOYS ALL IN THE SERVICE, ALL CAME HOME SAFELY AND THREE WONDERFUL GIRLS
ReplyMoney buys many things but never respect.
ReplyI don't for a minute believe that anyone in the Kennedy family wanted this to be a museum of any sort. Unlike the Roosevelt property, this is not an estate. The "compound" is just a neighborhood; anyone can drive past (there were guards during President Kennedy's time, but that was only because he was president); there are no gates. You'll see people walking their dogs and kids riding bikes. Real New Englanders don't go for ostentation---this place looks like a million others in the area, and my guess is he wanted his grandchildren to enjoy it.
ReplyFor admission, in TRUE liberal style, you open your wallet and they take whatever they want.
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