The mystery of who stole President Theodore Roosevelt’s pocket watch from a Buffalo museum 37 years ago remains unsolved, but the timepiece is now back at its rightful home.
Theodore Roosevelt’s watch is now on display at the Old Orchard Museum, part of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site on Long Island.
A 126-year-old watch that Roosevelt carried with him all over the world was stolen in July 1987 from a display at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site on Delaware Avenue.
The watch is believed to have gone through several owners since the theft, but it was recovered in Florida last year. It was returned Thursday to the Roosevelt family home at the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site on Long Island, the National Park Service told The Buffalo News.
Did police ever find out who stole Roosevelt’s beloved timepiece?
“No criminal charges were filed and no arrests were made during the investigation,” Cynthia Hernandez, a spokeswoman for the Park Service, told The News on Friday.
People are also reading…
The investigation is continuing, Hernandez said, adding that Park Service Police are being assisted by the FBI’s Art Crimes Team.
Park Service officials declined to comment Friday when asked if they know who stole the watch or who knowingly possessed it as stolen property. The FBI’s Art Crimes Team did not respond to a message seeking comment.
The unsolved mystery involves one of America’s most colorful and beloved presidents, who had a special connection to Buffalo. Roosevelt, who served from 1901 until 1909, was sworn in at the Wilcox Mansion in Buffalo. Roosevelt was vice president when President William McKinley was assassinated here in 1901.
Roosevelt mentioned the watch several times in his letters and books. He wore it during his famous charge up San Juan Hill in 1898, and during travels through Africa and the Amazon River region.
The finely crafted silver watch was on loan from Sagamore Hill when somebody stole it from the Wilcox Mansion – the historical site owned by the federal government – in 1987. Buffalo police said the thief took the watch from an unlocked glass display case. The thief also took a card with information on the history of the watch.
Fast-forward to early last year, when the watch ended up in the possession of an auction house in Clearwater, Fla. Edwin Bailey, owner of Blackwell Auctions, told The News last year that he was asked to sell the watch. He told reporter Lou Michel that he became skeptical of the watch’s history and began doing some research.
President Theodore Roosevelt's watch, which was stolen from the Wilcox House in Buffalo in 1987 and recovered in 2023, is now on display at the Old Orchard Museum, part of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site on Long Island.
Bailey said he and the man who asked him to sell the watch had no idea it had been stolen. Bailey said he reached out to experts at the Smithsonian Institute, Sagamore Hill and various museums, trying to verify that it was Roosevelt’s watch.
“Somebody must have reached out to law enforcement” about his inquiries, he told The News on Friday.
Bailey said he vividly recalls the day in March 2023 when five FBI agents came into his place of business.
“They were very kind and polite, but they told me, ‘We have a warrant and we’re taking this watch,’ ” Bailey said.
He said he’s cooperated with the investigation and has been assured by authorities that they do not suspect him of any wrongdoing.
Bailey said the watch and jewelry collector who brought him the watch – a former Buffalo-area man whom he would not identify by name – said he received it from another Buffalo man, now deceased, a “picker” who used to look for valuables at garage sales and antique shops.
“How much of this law enforcement knows about, or what they are doing with the information, I have no idea,” Bailey said. “I would have loved to sell Roosevelt’s watch, but I’m glad I had a small part in getting it returned to where it belongs.”
Bailey said he’s never seen any publicity about the theft of the watch except for a small item published by The News in 1987.
The National Park Service asks that anyone with information about the crime contact its Investigative Services Branch at 888-653-0009.
Bailey calls the watch a “national treasure” and estimates it would be worth at least $500,000 if legitimately sold.
Buffalo official thrilled
One person who hopes someone will be held responsible for the theft is Spencer D. Morgan, executive director of the Roosevelt Inaugural Site in Buffalo.
Morgan was at Sagamore Hill on Thursday, at a ceremony where the long-missing watch was officially returned and put on a new display at the Roosevelt family home. He said he was honored to attend the event, where he met two of Teddy Roosevelt’s great-grandchildren, Tweed and Elizabeth.
“It made me very happy to see this important historical artifact back where he belongs,” Morgan said. “Who stole it? We might know someday, we might not.
“This is a mystery, an unsolved mystery and an emotional mystery that has plagued our community for decades,” Morgan said. “Each year, about 30,000 people come through our museum. This was the only theft we’ve ever had here. Obviously, security has been tightened significantly since 1987.”
In Morgan’s view, stealing a historical artifact is a “worse crime that stealing money from a bank.” He said money can be replaced, while a historical piece like a legendary president’s watch cannot.
Morgan said there were many joyful moments at Thursday’s ceremony on Long Island, including some enthusiastic remarks from Teddy Roosevelt’s great-grandson, Tweed.
“Tweed said that if Teddy was still around and heard that his watch was back, he would’ve said one word,” Morgan recalled. “Bully!”
