Lafayette Park sculpture

The corners of Lafayette Park are marked by four bronze sculptural groups recognizing individuals from foreign countries who helped win the American Revolution. The earliest, of Marquis de Lafayette, were placed there in 1891, while the most recent two, Tadeuzs Kosciuszko and Baron von Steuben, were dedicated in 1910. Pictured here is the second statue, that of Comte de Rochambeau. Sited on the southwest corner of the park, it was unveiled in 1902, commemorating the leader of the 5,500 man expeditionary force sent by the French Crown to help the Americans.

Credit: White House Historical Association

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African Americans in Lafayette Square, 1795-1965

The phrase "The Half Had Not Been Told Me" is taken from a Biblical reference Frederick Douglass used to describe the beauty of the new Freedman's Savings Bank and Trust building, once located on Lafayette Square. Douglass compared the experience of seeing the building for the first time to the way the Queen of Sheba, an African queen, felt upon
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The White House, Lafayette Square and African Americans

To imagine what it was like here when the White House was being constructed in the 1790s, erase everything else you see now on and around Lafayette Square. The park was a field—muddy or dusty, depending on the weather. Enslaved workers who were building the White House were housed in temporary shelters—each about 10 feet wide and 10 feet long—lined
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Historic Decatur House & Lafayette Square
Podcast
Life on Lafayette Square

Featuring William Seale, author and historian
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The Decatur House Slave Quarters

In 1821-1822, Susan Decatur requested the construction of a service wing. The first floor featured a large kitchen, dining room, and laundry; while the second floor contained four rooms designated as living quarters. By 1827, the service wing was being used as an urban slave quarters. Henry Clay brought enslaved individuals to Decatur House, starting a trend that was solidified by
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All Hallows' Eve Haunts & Traditions

Today, the celebration of Halloween conjures images of costumed trick-or-treaters, sweets, and jack-o'-lanterns; but there was a time when All Hallows' Eve focused more on the night's thinning boundary between this world and the next. Tales of ghosts and haunted places naturally bubble to the surface this time of year, and with such rich history radiating from its halls, there
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An Artist Visits the White House Past

From the beginning of its construction in 1792, until the 1902 renovation that shaped the modern identity and functions of the interior of the White House, the fourteen paintings of this series examine the history of a national icon. Through meticulous research and tireless attention to detail, numerous sources inspired the brush of Peter Waddell to create a vision of the White
Podcast
St. John’s, the Church of the Presidents

Featuring Rev. Robert Fisher, Rector at St. John’s Church
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The President's Neighborhood

Since the White House was first occupied by President John Adams in 1800, influential people and organizations—or those who hoped to have influence—have bought property and built homes and offices along the streets surrounding the White House. For more than two centuries, this neighborhood has been the setting for political decision-making and diplomacy, social gatherings and protests, wartime expediencies and
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Holiday Cheer at the White House

The White House observance of Christmas before the twentieth century was not an official event. First families decorated the house modestly with greens and privately celebrated the Yuletide with family and friends. President Calvin Coolidge was the first chief executive to preside over a public celebration during the holidays with the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in 1923. In 1979, President
Podcast
Decatur House, the President’s Neighbor

Featuring Katherine Malone-France, Vice President for Historic Sites at National Trust for Historic Preservation and Osborne Mackie, author and antiques & fine arts expert
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The Historic Stephen Decatur House

In 1816, Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr. and his wife Susan moved to the nascent capital city of Washington, D.C. With the prize money he received from his naval feats, Decatur purchased the entire city block on the northwest corner of today’s Lafayette Square. The Decaturs commissioned Benjamin Henry Latrobe, one of America’s first professional architects, to design and buil