Evan Phifer

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Fall Foliage at the White House

Throughout the history of the White House and the grounds surrounding it, visitors have commented on the trees and foliage that continually add to the beauty of the grounds. In 1791, Washington city planner Pierre (Peter) Charles L’Enfant reserved approximately eighty-two acres surrounding the White House as a park. This area came to be known as “President’s Park.” Thomas Jefferso

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Arts Advisors in the Kennedy White House

President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s advocacy for the performing arts endures as a vital part of the Kennedy White House legacy. From 1961 to 1963, the White House became a focal point for arts and culture as the administration hosted numerous concerts and performances. One of the most significant White House concerts during the Kennedy years took pl

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Lincoln in the State Dining Room

For over 75 years, George Peter Alexander Healy’s portrait of Abraham Lincoln has remained an important aesthetic element for the White House State Dining Room. Prominently displayed above the central mantel, millions of visitors have seen it during a public tour or on a visit to the White House. Lincoln’s placement in one of the largest rooms on the Stat

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Inauguration of 1861

On December 20, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the United States. Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas followed soon after. In the midst of an unprecedented sectional crisis, President Abraham Lincoln entered office on March 4, 1861, to assume leadership of an anxious and worried nation. The Baltimore Sun commented that the “close of an old and the beginning of a new administration of

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A Coolidge Christmas

In 1923 holiday anticipation grew among Washington residents, especially among the First Family. President Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge awaited the arrival of their sons Calvin, Jr. and John, who were to be home for the holidays returning from school in Pennsylvania on December 18. Mrs. Coolidge had completed her shopping and the Washington Post reported, “just what she bought for Jo

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A Prominent Early White House Neighbor

When Commodore Stephen Decatur and his wife, Susan, moved into their new three story brick home across from the White House in 1819, they desired to link their futures with that of the growing national capital. It is no coincidence that they chose to reside in such close proximity to the Executive Mansion.One of the nation’s first post-Revolutionary War he

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Civil War Veterans Visit the White House

In May 1865, at the close of hostilities, a Grand Review throughout Washington, D.C., exhibited parading Union troops from the Eastern and Western Theaters of the Civil War. For numerous Civil War veterans, this was their last memorable act as soldiers, as many were soon mustered out of service and began civilian life. A presidential reviewing stand was erected outside

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Planning the Lewis and Clark Expedition from the White House

From 1804 to 1806, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the Corps of Discovery, an expedition created by President Thomas Jefferson for the purpose of charting and exploring land acquired from the Louisiana Purchase. Along the way, the expedition was to make natural observations, establish relationships with Native American tribes, and establish routes of travel for future settlement. Before leading the expedition

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Presidents' Day at the White House

Just how does the president celebrate Presidents’ Day? Throughout the more than 200-year history of the White House, presidents themselves have taken time to celebrate the American presidency. Originating as a public celebration of our first president, George Washington, this holiday’s commemoration has taken various forms over the years. As time passed, additional presidents, most notably Abraham Lincoln, have also

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Speeches in the White House

When the president gives an address, not only does what the president say matter, but also where. Given the iconic nature of the White House, the president uses certain rooms to demonstrate the nature of the speech. Two of the most popular locations for president speeches and addresses are the Oval Office and the East Room. The Oval Office serves

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Martha Johnson Patterson: Hostess of the Andrew Johnson White House

Of her family’s role in the White House in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, Martha Johnson Patterson, daughter of President Andrew Johnson, admitted, “We are plain people, from the mountains of Tennessee, called here for a short time by a national calamity.”1 One of the five children of President Andrew Johnson and First Lady Eliza McCardle Johnson, Martha

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Tennessee in the White House

As he left the White House in 1869, President Andrew Johnson supposedly exclaimed that he could “already smell the sweet mountain air of Tennessee.”1 Despite the considerable distance between Washington, D.C. and Tennessee, there have been numerous connections between the state and the Executive Mansion that highlight Tennessee influence in the history of the president’s home. Three presidents, all servin