Collection The Historic Stephen Decatur House
In 1816 the naval war hero, Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., and his wife, Susan, moved to the nascent capital city of...
"The President's Own"
On July 11, 1798, President John Adams approved legislation that officially brought "The President's Own" United States Marine Band into being, making the Marine Band America's oldest professional musical organization. At its origin, the fledgling band consisted of a "drum major, fife major and 32 drums and fifes." Since that time, the band has been present at many of the most memorable moments in our nation's history, including every inauguration since the time of Thomas Jefferson, the president who gave them the title, "The President's Own." Take a journey through the United States Marine Band's distinguished history and close connection to the White House.
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Collection Music in the White House
Music is often called the universal language. It has been known to break down barriers and shape historic events in...
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Collection The Kennedys and the Arts
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s advocacy for the arts endures as a vital part of th...
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Collection Italy in the White House
Long before the emergence of the United States and Italy as nations, close connections between our two peoples influenced political...
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Collection Fourth of July at the White House
It was President Thomas Jefferson who first established the traditions of a Fourth of July celebration at the White House....
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Collection The White House Social Secretary
For more than one hundred years, White House Social Secretaries have displayed a profound knowledge of protocol and society in...
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Collection The Hospitality of Diplomacy
The White House has hosted many important heads of state over the years. Typically, the President and First Lady join...
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Collection Dining in the Executive Mansion
A dinner at the White House has always had significance beyond the merely gastronomical. The elegance of the State Dining...
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Bio Caroline Harrison
The centennial of President Washington's inauguration heightened the nation's interest in its heroic past, and in 1890 Caroline Scott Harrison lent...
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Bio Nancy Reagan
"My life really began when I married my husband," says Nancy Reagan, who happily left an acting career for a...
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Bio Mary Lincoln
As a girlhood companion remembered her, Mary Todd was vivacious and impulsive, but "she now and then could not restrain...
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Bio Abigail Adams
Inheriting New England's strongest traditions, Abigail Smith was born on November 11, 1744 at Weymouth, Massachusetts. On her mother's side she was...
