You Might Also Like
-
Page
William Seale - In Memoriam 1939–2019
Dr. William Seale, whose contributions to the programs and publications of the White House Historical Association for more than forty years were instrumental in shaping the Association’s study and dissemination of White House history, passed away on November 21, 2019, following a long illness. His unique approach to the study of history through biography, architecture, landscape, and cultural context expanded the pu
-
Page
Construction of the White House
In 1791, working with George Washington, artist and engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant prepared a city plan for Washington, D.C., reserving eighty-two acres for a "President's Park."L'Enfant's original design for a "President's Palace" was approximately four times the size of the present White House. James Hoban substantially reduced the house's scale in the final approved design.The White House was
-
Page
Amenities & Living Comforts
The first bath tubs in the White House were portable and made of tin; water was hauled in buckets. Running water was piped into the White House in 1833. Gaslighting, installed in the White House in 1848, replaced candles and oil lamps. A central heating system was installed in the White House in 1837 when many people still warmed themselves with a log
-
Page
Rebuilding the White House
President John Adams first occupied the President's House on November 1, 1800. It stood for thirteen years and eight months until it was burned during the British invasion in August 1814. After a concerted effort by Congress to move the capital to Cincinnati, the government appointed two architects to "repair" the Federal City's public buildings: Benjamin Henry Latrobe, an Englishman of skill in
-
Page
White House Tour
Following a competition for the design of the President's House in the spring of 1792, Irish architect James Hoban was commissioned to build a home and office for the President of the United States. With guidance from President George Washington, Hoban employed craftsmen brought from as far away as Scotland and oversaw a free and enslaved labor force that constructed one
-
Page
White House Ghost Stories
1862-1863: Mary Todd Lincoln, grieving over her son Willies death in February, began to participate in spirit circles or seances in the Red Room at the White House and the presidential cottage at the Soldiers Home. Spiritualism was wildly popular during the height of the Civil War as families sought comfort for the loss of loved ones. 1901-1904: Jeremiah Jerry
-
Page
Living Quarters on the Ground Floor
White House staff who lived at the President’s House during the nineteenth century, including enslaved and free African Americans, usually had rooms in the basement. Open at the ground level on the south, the basement (referred to as the Ground Floor today) had windows on the north side facing a dry moat that was entirely hidden from view. Visitors on
-
Page
White House Associations with Public Schools in the District of Columbia
After the Civil War, the nation's capital became a magnet for foreign diplomats and people who had made fortunes in the North and West. They flocked to the city to influence policy and to seek support from and influence with the United States. Among the schools frequented by their children was the Force School, located at 1740 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, close
-
Page
White House Horses
American presidents throughout history have appreciated the utility and admired the grandeur of the horse. The visual image of the hero elevated on horseback has been a constant presence in equestrian art and public sculpture throughout the world. George Washington regarded horses as a source of pardonable pride, and his warhorses were of great importance to him as loyal companions
-
Page
Reading Lists & Bibliography
General White House Bibliography:Aikman, Lonnelle. The Living White House. Washington, D.C.: The White House Historical Association, 1996. Cunliffe, Marcus. The American Heritage History of the Presidency. New York: American Heritage Publishing Company, 1968. Dowd, Mary-Jane M., compiler. Records of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital - Record Group 42 Inventory No. 16. Washington, D.C.: National
-
Page
Sourcing the White House Turkey
Horace Vose (1840-1913) the Poultry King from Westerly on Rhode Islands southwestern shore, was a national figure in the late 19th and early 20th century, known as the man who annually provided the finest turkeys in the land for the first families Thanksgiving and Christmas table. Vose began raising turkeys with his uncle in the mid-1850s and in 1873 sent
-
Page
African American Performers at the White House
Beginning with James Buchanan’s administration in the 1850s, black entertainers have held a prime spot among White House performers. Their contribution to the musical history of the White House has been a rich and generally little known segment of American cultural life. A performance by Thomas Greene Bethune, "Blind Tom" created a sensation in 1859. Although blind and likely autistic, he