Did you guess? The Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port. There are many different faces of Cape Cod — harbors filled with sail and motor boats, ocean and bay beaches, kettle ponds, small towns along route 6A, crafters especially potters and jewelers, bustling tourist streets like Main in Chatham, Commercial in Provincetown, the dunes of the National Seashore, whale watching, a quaint art village like Wellfleet, seafood restaurants with lobster, clams and oysters, quiet neighborhoods of the Upper Cape, ferries to Nantucket and Martha’s Vinyard, sunsets on the western shore. Then there is Hyannis, a busy touristy downtown synonymous with the Kennedys. A summer White House.
We’ve been to the JFK Hyannis Museum several times. I remember the photographs. Jack and Jackie sailing, touch football games on the lawn, the boys in a sailing race, Jack playing with the kids, the President walking alone on the beach, family gatherings, formal but overwhelming informal photographs. Many stick in memory, bits of Camelot.
This year on Cape Cod, I read “White House By the Sea: a century of the Kennedys at Hyannis Port,” (2023) by Kate Storey. It is quite a story with so many threads. It starts with Joe Kennedy who in 1922 tried to establish a home for Rose and the kids in Cohasset, MA. It’s located on the coast between Boston and Plymouth. He applied for membership in the local golf club but Joe was Irish Catholic and the club and town were Protestant elite. Joe looked for a friendlier spot and in 1924 the family rented in Hyannis. Joe at the time was transitioning from banking to movies and he wanted a nice place for Rose and the kids. In 1928 he purchased Malcolm Cottage at 50 Marchant Avenue, the place they’d been renting. He immediately began construction on a huge addition including a basement theatre to show the kids and neighbors movies. Joe and Rose new home became known as the “Big House.”
If you grew up 1960s you remember the photographs that I saw in the Kennedy Museum. Jack Kennedy and his beautiful wife Jacqueline captured our imaginations. “White House by the Sea” is a close look at their lives and the lives of several generations through a Cape Cod lens. Joe and Rose would have nine children — Joe Jr, John (Jack), Rose, Kathleen, Eunice, Pat, Robert (Bobby), Jean, and Edward. All summered in the “big house;” some lived there for long periods. Jack and Bobby bought homes nearby creating the compound. Edward lived in the main house until his death.
There are many familiar names associated with the Kennedy clan and the Cape Cod compound. Pat Kennedy married the actor Peter Lawford. Eunice married Robert Shriver, the driving force behind Jack’s Peace Corps. Their daughter Marie married actor and California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Robert McNamara and others in the Kennedy administration showed up to meet with Jack. All of them turn up at the Hyannis Port compound.
Story writes about major events. The quiet institutionalization of Rose Kennedy. The death of Joseph Kennedy in World War 11. Then there is the night Jack Kennedy was declared President of the United States, the family gathered for a photograph. There were cabinet level meetings. Later there is Ted Kennedy’s involvement in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick (1969). Diane and I visited the bridge site on a trip to Martha’s Vinyard. Then the assassinations of John (1963) and Robert Kennedy (1967). The Kennedy story contains upbeat moments when the family celebrates together, enjoy summers on Cape Cod and there is tragedy.
Hyannis and Cape Cod becomes synonymous with the Kennedy family. Obviously the neighborhood was impacted. There is a lot of detail about the Kennedys interaction with the people in the community. Although there are some complaints basically the Kennedys became an accepted part of Hyannis Port. As the children of Joe and Rose got married and began to raise their families, many purchasd homes. Several are next door to the Big House, hence the name, “compound.” Others settled blocks away for some privacy. After Joe (1969) and later Rose’s death (1995) family members continued to spend time in the house.
”White House by the Sea” continues the story of the Kennedys on Cape Cod. The next generation put their stamp on the story. Some were involved in parties, drinking and the use of drugs. Robert Kennedy Jr. who is currently running in the 2024 presidential race, overcame personal struggles. He was kicked out of schools, arrested for marijuana possession and became addicted to heroin. I found these chapters about the younger generation especially interesting.
The Kennedy Compound became a U.S. National Landmark in 1972, but none of the homes are open for public visitation. Ethel Kennedy still owns and resides in the home she lived in with her late husband, while the Big House was donated to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in 2013. Several decades ago we drove as close as we could to get a view but all roads nearby were blocked. Maybe we could try again. Until then we can enjoy the rich photographic history of the White House by the Sea.
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