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Easter Egg Roll: The First Families' Role
Once the White House was opened to public egg rolling festivities in 1878, first families had to decide whether they were going to join the throng of celebrants or just organize and play host to it. Previously, the South Lawn was reserved for their own private Eastertide activities. Now the grounds represented a famous rite of spring for the nation's capital.
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Easter Egg Roll: Bunnies and Other Easter Animals
First pets are a popular attraction at the White House Egg Roll. Canine attendees of the event have included a wide variety of beloved purebreds and mutts. Animals as diverse as President Benjamin Harrison's toy pony, First Lady Grace Coolidge's raccoon and the 1,200-pound steer brought in by the Carters for their petting zoo have appeared on the South Lawn
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Easter Egg Roll: Years Without an Easter Monday
The egg roll holds such an important place in White House history that no president wants to be known for canceling it. World War I and food rationing stopped the event from being hosted at the White House. In 1942, egg rollers were sent back to the Capitol grounds, the place from which they had been ousted 66 years before. World War
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Easter Egg Roll: Fanfare and Keepsakes
Over the years, White House egg roll events have been made memorable by new attractions. In 1993, the Clintons scaled back the fanfare so that children would remember the day for its egg rolling games. A generation earlier, First Lady Pat Nixon gave out certificates of participation as a souvenir to eggrollers. First Ladies Betty Ford and Rosalynn Carter distributed plastic
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Easter Egg Roll: Games, Old and New
The primary Easter Monday entertainment at the White House has always involved egg rolling. Participants roll dyed, hard-boiled eggs across the grass to see whose will go the furthest before cracking. Other egg sports enjoyed in the early years were egg ball, toss and catch, egg croquet and egg picking—a contest where eggs are pecked together until they crack. Af
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Easter Egg Roll: The Holiday Bustle and Hustle
As the Easter Monday event became more of an attraction, a rule was fixed to limit the number of people coming into the enclosed South Lawn. The rule stated that a "grown person would be admitted only when accompanied by a child" and vice versa. As a result, unescorted egg rollers and childless adults began teaming up at random so
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Stewart D. McLaurin
Stewart D. McLaurin serves as president of the White House Historical Association, founded by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961 to share and preserve the rich history of the White House, a symbol of freedom and democracy to billions of people around the world. A private nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, the Association continues to fulfill Mrs. Kennedy's vision through its mission to
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The American Presidents Song
The origin of the "American Presidents" by Genevieve Ryan Bellaire is somewhat unique. One year, Genevieve's father asked her to memorize the order of the Presidents of the United States for Father's Day. As she did, she began to come up with rhymes to help her remember each President. After sharing this method with her family, they told her that
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2022 National History Day Resources
The White House Historical Association (WHHA) offers many different resources for students working on National History Day projects.
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Popular Culture in the White House Symposium Schedule
9:00-9:30am Light Breakfast 9:30am Welcome and Introduction John Rogers, Chairman of the Board of Directors at the White House Historical AssociationStewart McLaurin, President of White House Historical AssociationHannah Sommers, Associate Librarian for Researcher and Collections Services in the Library Collections and Services Group at the Library of Congress 9:45-10:45am The Presidency in Comics and Cartoons Moderator: Kevin Butterfield,
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Barbara Perry
Barbara A. Perry is the Gerald L. Baliles professor and director of Presidential Studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, where she co-directs the Presidential Oral History Program. She has authored or edited 17 books on presidents, first ladies, the Kennedy family, the Supreme Court, and civil rights and civil liberties, including Jacqueline Kennedy: First Lady of the New Fr