Long Island is set to gain an 80-mile heritage trail honoring Theodore Roosevelt, linking his former home in Nassau County with Montauk at the eastern end of the island.
Officials unveiled plans for the new tourism route Monday in Sayville, marking the 125th anniversary of the swearing-in of the only Long Island resident to serve as president of the United States.
A Roosevelt impersonator appeared alongside Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and other local leaders for the announcement.
“People need to learn our history, to experience it, not just from books or in a college classroom,” the impersonator said.
“To have a trail is much more interesting — you can absorb so much more about [the history] by being there,” he added.
The proposed trail will follow the historic route Roosevelt traveled on horseback from his Oyster Bay home to his cousin’s house in Sayville and onward to Montauk. Signs along the way will highlight important facts about the former president and the region’s past.
Romaine told The Post that the project will help protect and showcase Long Island’s deep historical legacy.
“The trail cuts across Nassau County all the way to Eastern Suffolk — all places that were familiar to Teddy Roosevelt, all places that are beautiful to visit,” he said. “It’s a great thing to talk about our history.”
The project remains in its planning stages, and officials have not yet determined its cost, Romaine said.
Roosevelt became the youngest president in U.S. history when he assumed office in 1901 at age 42. A Republican, he had been serving as Vice President William McKinley’s successor after McKinley was assassinated.
Roosevelt later won election to a full presidential term.
The renowned conservationist was born in Manhattan but spent his adult years living on Long Island.
